A Better Way
by Laurabeast
Summary: I finally had time to repost this. This is how I wish season three had gone. Darol, carol and a happy ending, I hope you like it.
1. Chapter 1

**I don't own any of this, I wish I did, but sadly I just made up the story line. This one gets a bit graphic so you've been warned. Enjoy, and review, please!**

Everyone watched as Rick walked off. They were all scared and Carol wasn't for sure if it was because of the walkers and cold or Rick, Carol knew that she was scared but more of Rick then the walkers. She wasn't afraid to die anymore, not since Sophia had died. Now part of her wanted to die, to be with her daughter in a better place and where she wouldn't have to worry about being torn apart and ate. But the other part of her of her wanted to keep living, to keep going, to keep fighting. Not just because she was scared to opt it out, but because of Daryl. He has given her strength, strength to keep fighting, strength to keep going. He's the only reason why she was still here today, still fighting and trying her damn best to keep going. If it wasn't for him, the day that Sophia walked out of that barn would have been Carol's death, she would of died that day, would of let her own once living daughter kill her, but he saved her, not Rick or Shane, or even Dale. No, it was Daryl who had made the move to reach out and catch her, and who held her while she watched her little girl be put down right in front of her. That was Daryl. A good man. A man of honor.

Carol sighed as she looked at the now dying fire, she could see her little girl in the flames, looking at her with those big blue eyes and with that soft sweet smile that she always gave. It almost seemed like it was real, that her daughter was still alive and standing there smiling at her, but that was only a dream. Her Sophia was dead and gone, yet in a better place.

Daryl watched as Rick stalked off, blaming them for him killing Shane. That was all on Rick, yeah Shane was crazy, and yeah he had threatened most of all of them and he scared them but hell, he wasn't nothing that Daryl couldn't handle. All of Daryl's life he been put through hell, he was beat, cussed and even stabbed. Shane wasn't nothing compared to Daryl and Merle's pa', he could hit you once and it would cause ya' not being able to move for a whole week. Shane was hard headed but a fucking pussy, he didn't have the balls to put up a good fight.

Daryl watched the others, everyone was now asleep somewhat, which left him and T-Dog up. T-Dog was on watch and Daryl was only up cause he didn't feel the need to sleep, not with them being out in the open when another herd could blow through. Daryl then moved his focus over to Carol's lying form, he wasn't sure why he was constantly watching her, he felt protective of her, he knew that but why? He's never felt like protecting someone, he's never even cared about anyone but himself. He wasn't a good men, he couldn't protect her and threat her like she deserves, he's already failed her once. Yeah, he worried about her, he even cared about her more than anything else, but he'd never admit it. He cared about what happened to Sophia, he searched every single day for that little girl, got an arrow to the side and a bullet to the head in the fucking process, but all he wanted was to find that little girl and put her back in her mamas arms and watch as Carol smiled again. That's all he wanted and yet he failed, failed Merle, failed that little girl, and failed Carol. Which caused him a pain inside his chest, it killed him the day that Sophia walked out of that barn, it pained him to see the hurt and failure inside Carol's eyes, all this time that little girl was inside that barn. The whole fucking time!

Daryl looked at Carol again and watched as she shivered, knowing that it was getting colder out, and it was beginning to turn winter, which meant less game and colder days. They needed a place inside, where at least where they could be shielded away from the cold air and whatever else that winter was to bring at them.

Daryl signed as he stood up and walked over to Carol's sleeping form, she looked so peaceful, almost as if the world never changed, that the world they new before was still here and that her little girl was safe and sound. _"what the hell Daryl? Stop going soft!" _Daryl groaned at that thought, he was defiantly going soft, Merle would kick his teeth in if he saw this, Daryl looked down once more watching as she shivered again. _"DAMNIT!" _he cursed silently and then he began pulling off his jacket, he gently laid it on top of her and watched as she pulled the jacket closer toward her body, he then picked up his crossbow and glanced over at T-Dog who stood on top of the stone wall glaring at him with a small grin on his face, Daryl gave him the Dixon stare before stalking off into the woods.

The sun was beginning to rise, which meant everyone would be awake soon and heading out to scavenge for supplies and maybe find some shelter. Though Carol wouldn't get her hopes up, _was any place safe now? _They thought the farm would have been, but their lucky ran out.

Carol was the first up, she signed as she sat up and rubbed at her eyes. She looked down as she felt something touch her leg, she gasps. _Daryl's jacket. _She looked around noticing him lying further away from everyone, "when did he..." she stopped herself as she stood up, she nodded toward Hershel to who was now on watch. She walked over to Daryl and laid the jacket on him. He needed it more than her anyways, they couldn't lose him, they needed him. She needed him.

Carol signed again and headed to go talk with Hershel, who was she kidding, Daryl wouldn't want her. _"your damn right! That redneck don't want your ugly old ass. You can't make anyone happy! Can't even keep our daughter safe! You fucking bitch! You deserve to die!" _Ed's words screamed loud and clear inside Carol's head, he was right. She couldn't do anything right, let her own daughter get lost. Ed was dead and gone, but yet his ghost still lingered inside her head.

"you alright?" Carol looked up at Hershel. He was a good guy, decent, honest, and he was very protective of his daughters. "Carol?" she looked at him and tried giving him a small smile. "yeah...I'm fine." she watched him as he nodded. "so...seen anything?"

Hershel looked back out into the field, "nope, seen only one walker, but it didn't see us. Kept on walking. It surprises me that there aren't many around us." Hershel looked back at Carol.

Carol nodded, you would think that the herd that hit the farm could of found its way here, or that other walkers would be close by. "yeah." she then pulled her sweater closer around her body, it was just starting to turn morning and yet the cold air was still up and about.

Hershel moved his focus toward the ground, "Carol, I'm sorry about what happened to your little girl. I had no idea that she was in there, Otis...Otis put those people in there."

Carol nodded filling tears start to build up, every time she thought about her little girl, she seemed to cry. "it's okay, I believe you. I know you didn't know." she paused glancing over at Maggie and Beth who were both sound asleep. "I'm sorry about your wife and your step son and all of your neighbors and friends." she felt bad for Hershel, he had lost more than her that day. Even if they were all dead and been dead for a while, Hershel didn't believe that. He believed that there would be a cure, that they could be saved. But then Shane had murdered them all. Hershel had lost so much that day, and yet he still is with them.

Hershel looked toward Carol and then at his daughters. "all we have is each other. I have both of my daughters, which I'm thankful for. Then I have y'all. We have to count on each other now, were all in this together now."

Carol nodded turning her head and looking at Daryl's sleeping form, she singed and looked back at Hershel. "don't give up." Carol looked at Hershel confused, "don't give up on him, he'll come around. He's just scared, he doesn't look the type to have had anyone to fight for him before." Carol then looked down "it's just so hard sometimes, I mean..."

Hershel looked at her, he could tell that the redneck meant a lot to her. He didn't know the story behind them, or even if there was one, but he could see that they cared for each other in more ways then most people. Hershel didn't know much about the redneck, only that his name was Daryl, Daryl Dixon and that his brother was named Merle. Though, according to Rick and the others, Merle wasn't as calm as Daryl, which Daryl wasn't always calm either. A least until that little girl went missing. Hershel could tell that Daryl and Carol had had became close, and she seemed to ring out the better side of the man. Hershel has watched as the man pushed Carol away, he could tell that the redneck wasn't use to comfort, hell he reminded Hershel of himself. When Hershel was young his father never paid him with comfort, it took him forever to learn to let someone in, but he did and now he has two wonderful daughters. "Carol, I reckon he's never had comfort, it's all new to him and it scares him." Hershel paused lifting Carols chin so that she was looking him in the eye. "trust me, he will realize what you mean to him."

Carol nodded slowly wiping away the the stray tear that had fallen. She wanted to believe that she meant something to Daryl, but she just couldn't pull herself to believe that. "Hershel, do you honestly believe that?" she watched as he looked toward the sky, "Carol, I'm not blind he cares for you. More than you realize, but I don't think he's ever had comfort before in his life. He cares for you, just like you care for him."

Carol looked at Hershel, "it's just that...he's did so much for me, and my little girl." she paused choking back the sob that threatened to spill "he's did more for her than her own daddy ever did in his whole life, just by searching for her."

Hershel nodded, he could tell that she was abused by her husband, even if he never got to meet him, which was a good thing. Hershel saw both Daryl and Carol as equal, they were both damage and they both needed each other. "Daryl's a good man, I don't know him well, but I can see it. Just like Glenn's a good guy for Maggie."

Carol laughed a small laugh, "yeah, Glenn's amazing and Daryl is great, even if he doesn't realize it himself."

Hershel patted Carol on the back gently, "yes he is, and you already proved it to him." Hershel looked toward the others who were slowly starting to rise, the sun was up higher now, shedding light across the sky, the trees and the fields. The birds were up and singing, the morning air was just beginning to turn warmer. He looked toward Carol who was staring up into the sky. "guess it's time."

Carol laughed and nodded. "guess so."

TWD-TWD-TWD

Everyone huddled around the dead fire, awaiting for the plans of the day. Everyone was starved and thirsty and tired. When Rick finally approached he looked tire, worn out and weak. Daryl signed, hell they all looked like that.

"okay, we need to pair up. We will e heading out to scavenge whatever we can fine, try and find a safe place." Rick paused looking toward everyone "we need food, medicine and weapons. Anyone disagree?"

"what about when we find something? How will we let the others know?" Carl had asked, had to give the boy pros though, Daryl thought.

"we will all meet back at the same spot, and we will share what we find." Rick patted Carl on the head and then looked toward Daryl, "sound good to you?"

Daryl nodded toward Rick, "sounds good enough."

Rick nodded, "everyone pair up and lets head out." Rick looked toward Lori and Carl then, "y'all two are with me."

Daryl watched as everyone paired up, leaving him, Carol and T-Dog.

Before Daryl walked off he looked at T-Dog, "the women rides with me, I ain't riding with any guy on the bike."

"this is gonna be a great day." Daryl thought as he got on the bike, he was okay being paired up with Carol, but not so much with T-Dog. T-Dog was okay, but hell Daryl was better off alone. He signed as he looked toward Carol, "come one! We ain't got all day!"

T-Dog had gone with one of the other groups, so they drove out a ways while she clung to him, he was warm and comforting against the chill of the morning air and the fear that they wouldn't find anything, that they'd die out here torn apart like animals.

She wasn't afraid to die, but she didn't want to be eaten, she didn't want to die screaming and alone, to be honest if she had to die she wanted to go like Dale, with the only people left in the world that she cared about, and Daryl ending her suffering.

"I'm gonna see if that damn thing has gas." Daryl's voice broke her out of her morbid thoughts, she nodded.

"What can I do?" She asked, she knew she was more of a burden on him then a helpful partner, he did so well on his own, she was just slowing him down.

"Search the car, I don't wanna sit here any longer then we gotta." He told her parking his bike and turning it off so as not to draw in walkers. She let go of his waist reluctantly, shivering at the sudden cold on her front.

She looked over at the car it looked to be in pretty good condition considering, the people who'd been driving it had wired a big old deer guard to the front even. She looked through the windows to make sure there were no walkers in there, the passengers side window was broken, but otherwise it looked clean.

Daryl pulled a little gas can out of his saddle bag and a bit of hose and started to siphon gas, apparently it had some. Carol opened the door and started digging through the car. It was actually a pretty good find. She found a first aid kit, with a travel sized bottle of aspirin, sanitizer, peroxide, antibiotics, nitro pills, anticoagulant, coagulant, oxicodone, and sleeping pills, along with the basic first aid stuff, she set it on the seat and kept looking, she found two syringes full of adrenaline, and bottles of medicine she didn't recognize, this guy had been a veritable pharmacy.

The only other thing in the glove box was a lighter and a really old looking iron, the kind you heat up by hand. She turned to the back seat and pulled a duffel bag up into her lap. It had clothes, a tooth brush, toothpaste, which she opened and rubbed across her teeth, thrilled by the minty taste.

There were two bars of motel soap that she put in her pocket, and a handful of those little shampoos, a straight razor, and a buck knife. She pulled out some of the clothes to make room for the first aid kit and closed it back up, She went back to looking through the back seat, there was a compound bow with a dozen arrows, she didn't know how to use it, but she'd bet Daryl did, so she pulled them up to the front seat.

Other then that it was all blankets and food wrappers, she did find one unopened snickers that she took happily. She popped the trunk and moved the spoils to the drivers seat before she got out breaking the snickers in half.

"Are you hungry?" She asked, he had kinked the hose, and capped his little gas tank, and seemed to be waiting for her.

"None of us have eaten in a whole day, what do you think?" He asked looking up at her, she held out the bigger half of the Snickers to him, he took it with a laugh.

"Well hell, haven't had one of these in a while. You wanna hold this while I grab the bike there's more gas, and that thing's full?" He asked before he took a bite of his candy, it was hard for him not to smile at the good fortune they'd stumbled onto.

"Sure." She said wrapping her half back up and putting it in her pocket, her hand brushed his when she took it, and her heart skipped like a school girl. She shook her head slightly, it had been a long time since she felt like this, it was ridiculous out her at the end of the world.

Daryl ate the rest of his candy with a gusto, then regretted it, wishing he had savored it, but didn't dwell. He put the bike in neutral and walked it over, taking the hose from Carol, he deliberately wrapped his rough hand around the top of hers.

She was so soft, but she was cold, and he felt bad wearing his jacket while she shivered, he thought about giving her his jacket, but he didn't think she'd take it. He put the hose in his gas tank and let it siphon off the rest of the gas.

"What else you find?" He asked hoping it would include something he could have her wear to keep warm.

"Um, a lot actually, they must have been running, a doctor or something, they had lots of medicine and stuff, clothes, a straight razor, a knife, a bow, some soap and stuff, blankets, clothes." She told him, he left his bike for a minute and grabbed a long sleeve flannel that she'd pulled out of the bag. He handed it to her.

"Good, here, put this on you're no good to me if you freeze to death out here, check the trunk, I'll keep an eye on this." He told her, she pulled on the coat he'd given her with a small smile and went around to check the trunk.


	2. Chapter 2

She opened the trunk and was sad at first, it looked empty, but then she realized it was way too shallow for the size of the trunk. She pulled out a gray felt board that was covering the trunk, revealing a chest and another duffel bag.

She opened the bag, it had three baseball bats, a machete, a shot gun, two rifles, and a hand gun. She smiled closing it back up and turning to the chest, it's locked though, she wriggles it around, but it won't open.

"Daryl, there's a chest back here, but it's locked, I can't get it open." She told him, he pulled the hose out of the cars tank emptying it into his bike and then wrapping it back up.

"Ya, I'll get it." He said grabbing his cross bow, she moved to the side letting him get at the trunk, he pulled on the lock, and then smashed it open with his cross bow. They both gaped at the open chest.

"Holy shit!" He said the chest was full of ammunition, and two more quivers with a dozen arrows each.

"I guess we should go get the rest of the group." She offered, not that she really wanted to go back, but Daryl trusted Rick for what ever reason, and she knew he'd want to.

"Ya, grab the duffel with the meds, we'll go to the top of the hill, see what we see, then we'll go back." He told her pulling out two boxes of ammunition for his gun, She opened the duffel and offered him the hand gun and the machete. He took the hand gun, since it was the same caliber as his, but the machete in it's sheath on a belt it was a nice weapon, and he knew Carol didn't have one.

He took it and wrapped the belt around her petite waist, he belted it gently, neither one of them was breathing easy with the other only inches away. He made sure it was tight enough to stay on even if she had to run, but not so tight it would hurt.

"I can't always protect you." He told her in a low rumbling whisper, she smiled putting her hand over his, and smiling gratefully. He squeezed her fingers gently, then turned away and went back to his bike. She grabbed the duffel from the front and put the bow and quiver over her back and then the duffel.

"Daryl, could you, could you teach me how to use this bow, I, I don't want to be a burden any more?" She asked getting on behind him and wrapping her arms around his waist loving the feel of him against her.

"You ain't a burden, you lost everything and you keep going, you're stronger then any of us. I'll teach you how to shoot, but not cause you're a burden, cause you should be able to defend yourself." He told her starting his bike up, she clung to him in silence touched by his words while they drove up to the top of the hill.

"Thank you, Daryl." She almost whispered, it was hard for him to hear her over his bike, but he did, he pretended he didn't but it touched him, she was always doing that. She kept making him feel like this, and he didn't know what to do with that.

He'd never had a girlfriend or anything like that, Merle and his family had made that pretty impossible, and before all this well, he hadn't been very social. When they hit the top of the hill he stopped his bike looking down in awe.

"Is that a prison?" She asked when she saw the huge fortified building, it looked like it could be made safe, but right now it was crawling with walker.

"Looks like, let's head back, see what everyone else's found." He said trying to avoid any form of hope, it only seemed to get crushed around here. They drove back in silence and were the first back by far, they hadn't planed on coming back until mid day, they had hours yet before anyone would come back.

"Well now's as good a time as any to teach you how to use that thing, if you want?" Daryl more said then asked, Carol put down the duffel and pulled the bow off eager to learn.

"What's first?" She asked, holding it awkwardly, he smirked trying not to laugh, they couldn't have dragged her out to learn to use a gun, but now she was thrilled to learn the bow. Maybe it was Shane she hadn't liked.

"See if you can pull it first, it's smaller so it was obviously meant for a woman, but I might need to reset the torque on the string." He told her, she did her best to pull it back, but she could barely move it.

"I, it's too tight." She told him looking disappointed, he took it from her brushing her hand with his and got to work resetting it.

"It's set pretty tight right now, I'll set it low for practice, we can notch it up as you get better." He told her, she came over and watched him reset it.

"Will you teach me how to do that too, so I can fix it, if, if something happens to it?" She asked, he shifted over to show her what he was doing. After a short explanation he handed the bow back to her.

"Now, first thing don't ever dry fire that, you'll bust the whole thing to bits, you ever done this before?" He asked as she pulled out an arrow clumsily, she smiled meekly.

"No, Ed didn't let me learn stuff like this, he said it wasn't a lady's job to defend nothing." She told him, he frowned, he'd hardly known Ed and there'd never been a man he'd wanted to kill more, but the walkers beat him to it.

"Ya, well, he was an idiot, here, ya gotta hold it like this." He told her coming up behind her and taking both her small delicate hands in his and moving them into the right holds, he let her get comfortable holding it, or maybe he just liked the way she relaxed into him, like she felt safe there in his arms, which was stupid.

He pulled away circling her to make sure the arrow was knocked right, which it was, since he'd helped her he'd known it would be, but he needed to put space between them before he did something even more stupid.

"Well, try and shoot that tree, if you miss at least the arrow shouldn't go far." He told her stepping out of the way, she missed the way he felt holding her, but she needed to learn. She pulled back doing what she could to aim at the tree, the arrow missed the tree by a hair, and she yelped rubbing her arm.

"Not bad." He said honestly going to get her arrow, he came back and went right past her even though she'd really hurt her arm. He went to his bike and pulled something out of his saddle bag before he came back.

"Here, if you don't hold it straight the strings gonna clip your arm." He told her putting the arrow in her quiver and holding up a thick plain leather wrist band sized for a man, he put it gently over the red mark on her arm and it buckled like a belt.

He left it tight enough to stay up, with the buckle on the outside to it wouldn't damage the string. She just watched him put it on her gratefully, he really was the only one who took care of her.

"Thank you." She whispered touching the worn leather band on her fore arm, like it was the nicest thing any one had ever given her, she'd had that same look when he'd given her that flower. He was sure he'd had that same stupid look when she'd kissed his cheek.

"Here, try like this." He said coming up behind her again, she leaned into him, but he tried not to think about it, or the rising issue he was having just being so close to her.

He showed her how to pull it back, and how to aim, they spent the next three hours shooting, by the time anyone else showed up she was doing pretty well. She could hit the tree every time, and could shoot pretty fast.

"Hey, what'd you guys find?" T-Dog asked, Maggie and Glen weren't far behind them carrying bags that they dropped in the middle of the camp site.

"Lot's, mostly medicine and stuff, but there's a shit ton of ammunition back in the car we found, and a place we might be able to stay if nobody found anything better." Daryl told them, Carol held up the bow proudly.

"And this." She said happily, she was so proud of how well she was doing, and honestly so was he. She was really good at this, considering the amount of experience she had.

"Hey, can I see that, I'm pretty good with a bow, I could really use that?" Maggie asked, Daryl saw Carol look disappointed and move to just give it up.

"No, she found it, she gets to keep it, she damn good with it too." Daryl told them, Maggie looked at him a little shocked, she hadn't realized that they'd cared.

"Okay, sorry, I just wanted to help." She said, Glen put his arm around her, Daryl hadn't meant to sound so forceful, but he wasn't very good at tact.

"Well, we didn't find anything like that, but we found an abandon bar, we grabbed what food and water was still good, and some alcohol too." Glen told them changing the subject, Daryl nodded pleased by that news, they needed food and water.

"Good, let's take stock while we wait for the group." Daryl offered letting Carol join the group and chat about the stuff they'd found while he kept watch, he didn't really care for being part of the group, but he knew it was safer, and Carol liked it.

"Hey, I got you some peanuts, and a beer, it's not much, but we didn't want to break into the canned stuff until the group got back. Is the beer okay, or did you want a water?" She asked, he took the beer with a bit of a smile holding his free hand out to help her up onto the wall he was sitting on, she climbed up eagerly.

"So, I was thinking, maybe you could teach me how to hunt, and track and stuff, so I can help keep people fed, and learn to shoot things that move, and, and then, if, if I lose, then I, I can track like you did." She said with a distant look in her eyes, he'd known she was scared when her girl ran off, but he hadn't realized how helpless she must have felt.

"Ya, sure, could use help hunting, I can't bring in near enough on my own." He told her, she smiled weakly, looking up at him with tears in her eyes. She wanted him to hold her, but she knew he wouldn't.

'Don't deserve him any way, you worthless bitch' Ed's voice in her head confirmed her own self deprecating thoughts. She held up a handful of peanuts to him with a little sweet, hopeless smile.

"Thanks." He said taking the handful from her letting his hand linger for just a second longer then he needed to. They sat there in silence just watching the woods and eating peanuts until the group came back.

Hershel and Beth first, then Rick and his family, she watched them, they were all still together, they still had what mattered, some part of her resented them for that, but she knew it was wrong. Rick may not be someone she trusted, but he did seem to be trying to help them and that was as good as it could be right now.

"We didn't find anything. How'd the rest of you do?" Rick asked, feeling like he'd let the group down, he'd looked to Daryl first, like he thought if anyone could have found something it would be him.

"We found some apples, there was a little tree out there, enough for us each to have one, plus to more, that's all that were still worth taking." Hershel offered holding out a cloth full of little green apples.

"We found, some caned food, water, and beer, plus some liqueur, there was a beat up old bar over that way, we had to kill a few walkers, but it was still mostly standing." Glen offered up, then it was there turn, and Daryl was happy he didn't have to disappoint Rick, Rick respected him, needed him, and he'd never had that before.

"We found a car packed full a shit out that way, a little gas, ammunition, medicine, guns blankets, the works, and there's an old prison out that way too, hell of a good place to hole up, but it needs to be cleared out first." Daryl said proudly, Carol smiled over at him, he was like a kid proudly turning in good work, hoping for praise.

"That's a hell of a find, I say we go check it out." Rick said sounding revealed that somebody'd found something. Daryl smiled pleased that he'd done well.

"Not like we have a lot of options." T-Dog put in, Carol wanted to glare at him for making it sound like there find wasn't that good, but instead she just smiled reassuringly at Daryl.

He gave Rick the gas so there car would make it to where they needed to go, she wanted to get back on Daryl's bike, but when Lori offered to let her ride with them she felt obligated to accept, she just hoped they didn't try to disarm her too.

"Cool bow." Carl told her, she smiled thinking back to Daryl holding her while he taught her how to use it, she still needed more practice, but he was a good teacher.

"Thanks, Daryl's teaching me how to shoot it." She told him, he smiled, one of those genuine smiles only kids have.

"That's good, everyone should have a weapon, I made a mistake thinking we could live without them on Hershel's farm." Rick said.

"Yes, you did." Was all she said, the rest of the car ride was silent, Lori didn't seem nearly as okay with Rick right now, which she thought served him right. She understood why he'd killed Shane, but she didn't think he'd thought it through enough, and maybe Lori being made would make him really think about it.

Daryl was the first one to get back to the car, he pulled out the rest of the arrows for Carol putting them on his bike, and took another of the jackets, a thick black leather one this time, and put it on over his other clothes, he knew it would be getting colder, and he'd be the last one to get a blanket, so why the hell not.

He caught himself smiling when he saw Rick drive up with Carol, and he shook it off, what kind of pansy ass was he turning into, Merle would have laughed him stupid if he could see him now. He avoided her while he showed the group there findings and helping load up the cars.

She watched him while he talked to Rick and loaded the cars, when ever she tried to go over to him, he just walked away. She sighed, she would never get why he was so afraid to let her in. She helped collect the blankets and then ended up back in the car, nearly pouting about not getting to talk to him, he looked warm in his new coat though, and that as good.

They all drove to the top of the hill to where they could see the prison below them, even from here she could see walkers in the yard. They all piled out of the cars, Daryl stayed on his bike just watching the group.

"It'll be getting dark in a few hours let's make sure we're safe here, then set up camp, we can talk about what we're gonna do then." Rick told them, they the cars on the crest of the ridge and set up camp opposite the prison so they wouldn't risk the walkers seeing there fire.

When camp was set up and Daryl had gotten fire wood for them, he couldn't avoid her any longer.

"I like the Jacket, it looks warm, I'm glad you took it, you usually don't think of yourself when you find things." She said with a small smile at finally getting to talk to him finally.

"Ya well, I was cold, what of it?" He asked kicking at something on the ground that she couldn't see. She pulled the thick flannel coat he'd given her open it was actually a little hot, or maybe she was just flushed, the way he effected her, and he didn't even know.

He looked up and noticed that she was wearing the red shirt she'd found in the car before her daughter had gone. He remembered her saying ed wouldn't let her wear stuff like that, but it looked good on her, even if it was a little washed out now.

'You look lie a whore, no wonder he's avoiding you, doesn't want to have to tell you he'd never touch a whore like you, stupid bitch' Ed's voice rang out, she looked down with an expression of embarrassment on her delicate face, and closed her coat hurriedly.

"I, I like the shirt, looks good on you." He mumbled too embarrassed to look at her, so he missed her look of joy when she let her coat fall back to the side, no one had complimented her looks in over a decade.

"I think we're gonna eat soon, I came to get you so you didn't miss it, I know you don't think so, but Rick, he listens to you, more then to us any way." She told him smiling, she only really smiled when she was with him since Sophie.

"Don't nobody listen to me, and there's no reason they should." Daryl told her, and she knew he really believed that.

"That's not true, you, you always protect everyone, not just the people close to you, all of us, Rick, he wants to save us, but if he had to choose, he'd save his family first, even if it meant the rest of us died, so maybe you don't believe any one else listens to you, or needs you, but I do." Carol said turning back towards the group, he watched her go, shaking his head.

She deserved so much better then she'd gotten, so much better then him, but she believed in him like no one else ever had, and for no good reason. He'd failed her so completely when her little girl walked out of that barn. He kicked the ground hard in frustration, it didn't matter how he felt, he'd keep her safe, it was the least he could do.

He went back to the group standing at the edge of the fire light beside Carol, just a step behind her, so he could look at her without her seeing him. When Glen dropped the bag of canned goods she went up and helped him pass them out. They had to open them with knives, but it was food so they made it work. Daryl took Carol's can when she went to take out her machete to open it.

"I got it, that's a good way to lose a finger." He mumbled cutting the top of her can off, he held it out to her, when her fingers touched his, he jerked away slicing his finger on the can.

"Shit!" He hissed, she looked worried, but when she realized what had happened she had to suppress a giggle.

"That's a good way to lose a finger." She joked, biting her lip in an effort to not laugh at him, he couldn't help but smirk shaking his head.

"Bitch." He joked, but when her expression fell he instantly regretted his choice of words, he'd heard Ed call her that more then once, and he'd only ever said it to her in anger.

"Sorry, I just, you said, and then..." Her voice trailed off like he'd hit her, he closed his eyes to try and fend off the pain her hurt caused him, but it didn't help. "No need, it was funny, didn't mean nothing by it, just what I say, Christ, don't get all weepy about it." He told her, she smiled weakly, embarrassed by her poor reaction. She ate her canned chicken quietly, a sort of hush fell over the whole group actually.

"Well this is fucking boring." Daryl muttered when he'd finished spooning out his pork and beans with his knife.

"Daryl's right, we're all dwelling on things we can't fix, we need to have hope." Maggie tried to sound up beat, but only managed to sound damaged, Glen put an arm around her.

"I, I wanted to sing something, as sort of a tribute to the people we lost, is, is that okay." Beth asked, with a weepy crack in her voice.

"That sounds like a good thing, you sing for them, we'll listen." Hershel told her, the group nodded in silent acceptance.

"Of all the money e'er I had, I spent it in good company. And all the harm e'er I've done, Alas! it was to none but me. And all I've done for want of wit To mem'ry now I can't recall So fill to me the parting glass Good night and joy be with you all.

Chorus: _Some Versions Omit_ So fill to me the parting glass And drink a health whate'er befalls Then gently rise and softly call "Good night and joy be to you all"

Maggie and Hershel joined her at that, and we all looked at the fire remembering all those that we'd lost in the days before. Daryl's mind driffted to Merle first, but soon Sophie came to mind, he looked over at Carol, she was crying silently.

Oh, all the comrades e'er I had, They're sorry for my going away, And all the sweethearts e'er I had, They'd wish me one more day to stay, But since it falls unto my lot, That I should rise and you should not, I gently rise and softly call, Good night and joy be with you all.

Daryl could feel his eyes burning with unshead tears for her, he couldn't take it any more, he stepped over to her putting his arm around her shoulder. She sobbed falling to her knees silently while he held her together, she turned pressing herself into his chest.

So fill to me the parting glass And drink a health whate'er befalls Then gently rise and softly call "Good night and joy be to you all"

If I had money enough to spend, And leisure time to sit awhile, There is a fair maid in this town, That sorely has my heart beguiled. Her rosy cheeks and ruby lips, I own she has my heart in thrall, Then fill to me the parting glass, Good night and joy be with you all.

He wrapped his arms around her holding her while she cried on his shoulder, he felt so awkward doing this in front of the group, but she needed him, and he'd never admit it, but he needed her too, because helping her kept him from weeping too, like the panty wasted idgiot he was, Merle would kick his ass if he saw this.


	3. Chapter 3

"That was beautiful." Rick told them whipping his eyes too, which made Daryl feel better about his own stinging eyes.

"I know we're all exhausted, but we gotta push just a little bit more, that prison, it looks like a place we could be safe, a place we could call home some day, what do y'all think?" Rick asked, Carol whipped her eyes and looked to Daryl to weigh in, she really cared what he thought.

"I think it's our best bet right now, we clear it out, it'd be the safest place I could think of." Daryl offered, Rick nodded with a small smile, like he thought any of them cared what he thought.

"We could be safe there." Hershel put in, Carol smiled up at him her cheeks still stained with tears, she looked proud of him. He turned away trying to ignore her unguarded emotions.

"Won't it be dangerous, we could all die, I mean we can't shoot in there, there's too many, we'd draw in a herd." Maggie offered up, they all nodded weighed down by her logic.

"She's right, we have to go in there hand to hand, if we can fight our way to a safe location, quietly, then we can pick them off one by one, and clear the place out." Rick told them, Daryl nodded, he liked that plan, not perfect, but better then most.

"That's a lot of ifs, what if it all goes wrong?" Glen asked, rick nodded, he knew the risks.

"No more dangerous then wandering like this." Rick told them, and he was right, this would get them killed.

"He's right." Daryl put in not looking back at Carol, she was the one thing that would stop him from doing this, he knew if she asked, he'd turn tail and run, lie the pussy he was turning into.

"Weapons, food, medicine, all of it will be in there, prisons always keep well stocked, and it doesn't look looted." Rick told them, they all knew he was right, with all those walkers there was no way it was picked clean.

"It's as good a plan as any." T-Dog put in and with that it was all but decided, Rick turned to Lori.

"You do what you have to, to keep us safe." Lori told him, Carol watched as Daryl, Rick, Hershel, and T-dog made plans for tomorrow morning. She just stared, he seemed to fit so well there, he looked so confident. Daryl came over to her before the rest of the group broke up.

"Can you use that?" He asked pointing to the machete he'd wrapped around her waist earlier that day. She looked down at it meekly.

"Not really, but you could teach me." She told him, he sighed putting his cross bow over his back.

"That's what I thought, come on." He told her leading her over to an open area at the very edge of the fire light. "Take a swing." He told her, she pulled it out awkwardly and swung at the air.

"I'm not very good am I?" She asked when the blade flopped around uselessly, he tried not to laugh, but it was good to see him smile.

"Here, like this, you'll break your wrist like that before you kill a walker." He told her wrapping his hand around hers showing her a good grip, pulled her into his chest and swung the blade slowly with her, letting her feel the grip.

"That feels much better." She told him trying to sound coy, but missing her mark and just sounding pleased.

"We'll tie it to your wrist tomorrow too, so you don't lose it, give it a few swings, then we'll go back and get some rest." He told her, she did as he told her, and stuck it deep in the ground st her feet, she tried to pull it out, but it was stuck fast.

"Um, I can't get it out." She told him, he wrapped his hand around hers again demonstrating the best way to pull it out.

"Come on, let's get back, don't need you falling asleep on the way in." He told her following her back she went over and grabbed a blanket from the pile and found a place near the fire to sleep, the blankets were passed out, and like he'd guessed he didn't get one. He just sat by the fire while Hershel kept watch.

"I, you, we could share, if you don't mind, I mean it's cold, and we need you well rested out there." She told him, he chuckled shaking his head.

"I don't need no charity from you." He told her, she sighed, but then she had an idea.

"I know, I just, I meant, this blanket's really thin, and I thought, it would be warmer if you, never mind." She told him doing her best to look embarrassed, which wasn't hard since she was.

"Fine, don't have to beg woman, if you're cold, all you had to do was say." He grumbled defeated, he threw another log on the fire and went and crawled under the dark side of the blanket awkwardly. He laid with his back to her, he was so warm, and it was nice to have him close.

He liked the feeling of her close to him, soon despite his best effort his eyes drifted closed, she knew he was asleep when he rolled onto his back to be more comfortable, his arms under his head as a pillow, she rolled over laying her head down on his chest gently afraid to wake him.

She'd never felt so safe, or comfortable in her life, he wrapped one of his arms around her shoulders in his sleep, shifting so his head was facing her's nuzzled in her hair.

He woke to Carol's soft breath on his neck while he held her, she had buried her face in his chest at some point during the night, and was laying on his arm. He kissed the top of her head gently before he pulled away from her, afraid to wake her. Hershel had woken him for watch.

"You should stop pushing her away, she cares about you." He told Daryl, Daryl stood up giving him the Dixon stare, but he seemed unaffected.

"What the hell do you know old man?" He growled trying to cover up how he really felt, Hershel just shook his head smiling knowingly.

"I used to think just like that, but every time you pull away it hurts her, do you really want that?" He asked and walked off to his own spot by the fire falling asleep quickly. Daryl, who'd been left standing there, knowing he was right, sank down next to Carol's head, she moaned in her sleep reaching out for something, he took her hand without thinking.

She smiled rolling onto his lap to continue sleeping, he stroked her short hair absently while he watched the darkness, his back to the fire. Nothing happened, and just before dawn he moved away from Carol reluctantly.

She seemed to be as apposed to it as he was because even in her sleep she looked unhappy, she rolled over reaching for him, but when she found nothing she shot up clutching her chest looking around wildly. He leaped up going to her worriedly, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"You okay?" He asked when she clutched his hand tightly looking up at him with a sigh breathing hard. She reached up touching his face, like she didn't believe he was really there. He covered her hand with his gently looking into her eyes worriedly.

"I, I had a dream, you, you died, and I had to put you down, I, I was so scared I'd lost you." She said with tears in her eyes, he turned away standing back up.

"Ya well, I'm not that easy to kill." He tried to sound reassuring, but just managed cold. She sighed, just watching him move relieved that he was alive.

"Just promise me you'll be safe today, I, I can't lose you too, even if you don't care, I, you're the last person in this world that I care about." She told him, he squeezed his eyes shut with a sigh.

"Ya, you too." He whispered, she smiled at his quiet words, she would have said more, but the rest of the group was stirring. They ate and prepared, and the whole time Daryl avoided her, but couldn't escape her worried glances.

"We stay together, if they separate us we could all get overwhelmed, and if you wander off you could get mistaken for a walker." Rick told them, looking at Daryl for the last bit.

"Which is no fucking fun, let me tell you." Daryl told them, the group laughed nervously, Carol just gave him another worried glance.

"Here, put the string around your wrist so you don't drop it, I'm not gonna tie it, in case it gets stuck in something. We're gonna make it through this, both of us, I promise." He told her putting the loop of rope on the end of the machete around her thin wrist. She smiled at his reassuring words, once all the supplies had been split up to carry they set out.

The whole group was surprised by what they saw, ya Rick and the boys were doing well, but Carol was right behind Daryl covering his back, and actually helping. Daryl was hyper aware of Carol standing behind him, he was pretty sure she'd actually saved him more then once, but when he heard her yelp he whipped around to see a walker holding onto her arm while her weapon was stuck in another.

Daryl ripped him off her stabbing it through the eye, and put his hand over hers pulling her weapon free. It didn't take long after they'd made it through the gates, and shut off what they could to get inside.

Inside was dark and dirty, but there were fewer walkers by far, they made there way to a cell block and closed, but didn't lock the barred door behind them, Daryl and the boy's did a sweep of the hall and the room, Daryl dragged a body out of the room, but it was clear.

"Is it safe?" Lori asked, Rick nodded looking around at the cells.

"This cell block is, we'll set up base here and after we rest and get the light together we'll start clearing this place out for real." Rick told them, Carol smiled weakly, the first step was over, they had made it inside.

"Told you we'd make it." Daryl said as he walked over to the bared door stabbing the walkers there in the head one by one until he had a nice pile that the rest could munch on for a while.

"Thank you." Carol said putting her hand on his arm to turn him away from the carnage, he looked at her in confusion.

"For what?" He asked for once not moving away from her touch.

"You saved my life out there again." She told him, he just shrugged.

"Ya well, I reckon you saved mine a couple time too, you did good." He told her, she smiled and let go of his arm before he could turn away. They poked through the cells first picking rooms, there were eight cells to choose from but only three had clean beds, Carol, Lori, and Beth each got one.

"Figures, always get stuck on the floor." Daryl muttered to himself mostly, but then Carol put her hand lightly on his shoulder.

"I thought, well, since you're stuck on the cold floor, and I mean you'll need a blanket." She told him holding out her frayed wool blanket that they'd shared the night before.

"I ain't no charity case, don't need no blanket." He told her, even though he really wanted the blanket, he knew she'd be cold without it.

"I know, I just, if, if you wanted you could, I mean, I'd feel safer if, if you'd share with me." Carol offered blushing and staring at the floor while she picked at the blanket.

"Why?" He asked genuinely curious, she looked up at him meekly, seemingly embarrassed by what she was about to say.

"I, I know that it's not exactly safe here, and, well I just, I don't like the idea of sleeping here alone." She told him honestly, he had to bow to that knowledge, it was far from safe here.

"Ya, why me?" He asked looking a little uncomfortable by her proposal, she looked back at the floor hiding a smile.

"Well, Rick is gonna be sleeping in the room with his family, and I don't really trust him, and T-Dog, well, he'd take up the whole bed." She said trying not to laugh, he didn't do as well, he chuckled at the truth of her words.

"Ya, alright, just don't make big fucking deal about it." He told her cracking open the beer he'd snagged from the food stock, he took a long draft and held it out to her.

"Thanks." She said taking a sip, she wasn't exactly fond of the way beer tasted, but she was thirsty, and it was nice of him to offer.

"I'm gonna turn in, did you, um... goodnight." She told him crawling under the blanket and curling up by the wall. He stood by the opposite wall and finished his beer just watching her lay there, she looked so innocent like that, almost like none of this had ever happened.

When he knew she was asleep he went over and kicked his boots off crawling under the blanket, there was only just enough room on the bed for them both to lay on there sides. He put his free arm around her gently, she was so soft.

he'd love to just lay here and hold her forever, but he couldn't let her in, even now he'd let her get in his head on the way in here. He'd almost got bit trying to protect her, he was no good to any one if he was such a weak fucking pussy.

He rolled over onto his back, he hung off the bed a little, but at least he didn't have to look at her. She rolled over in her sleep curling up on his chest her soft, petite, hand curled up in his shirt, he couldn't have moved her without waking her if he tried.

So he just stared watching her sleep for hours before he fell asleep himself, she woke up first still clutching his shirt. His arms were wrapped around her protectively, she smiled closing her eyes again and just relishing in the moment.

He was warm and he smelled good, the musk of a real man, she hadn't felt so safe since long before she married Ed. She smiled just clinging to him content in everything in that moment, he moaned holding her closer.

She smiled wider for a moment, but then there perfect little bubble popped, like a dream that you lost when you woke up. The moment was gone forever.

"Fuck, I slept too long, can't see the fucking sun in this fucking place." He said dumping her back onto the bed unceremoniously, he stormed off to find Rick, he'd promised he'd meet him to do the initial sweep to try and clear this place out.

Carol sat up with a sigh watching him go, she went about helping as was expected of her, cleaning, and setting up so they'd be safe, she knew they'd never take her with on a sweep. Normally she was glad, she didn't like fighting, she didn't want to, but she wanted to help him the way he had always helped her.

They killed more then a few walkers, but only one or two at a time ever, even Carl shot one with the silenced pistol Rick had given him. Carol was folding the warm clothes into a neat pile in her room when they came back.

Daryl was exhausted there had been a ton of those mother fuckers, he whipped the sweat from his brow and grabbed a beer from a crate they had used to organize the food, and water and such. He smiled at the little chalk labels in Carol's hand writing.

He went straight to her cell, or room or whatever the fuck you wanted to call it, she'd woven newspapers she'd found through the bars for privacy, with the one funny page she'd found on the inside. She'd written there names on the ones on the door, even in this shit hole she'd managed to carve out something to call her own.

Daryl was embarrassed, and touched that she'd thought to add his name to the door, he pushed it open with the toe of his boot, it creaked and wrinkled the paper, making quietly slipping in impossible. She looked up from her spot on the bed where she was folding there share of the warm clothes, she'd tried to pick out ones he'd like.

'Listen to you already thinkin like he's your fucking husband, you stupid Bitch, no wonder you fucking scare him away, don't be such a fucking whore, I'm barely cold in the fucking ground!' Ed's voice echoed, and she looked at the floor bashful now after chiding herself.

"We divided up the warm clothes, I saved these for you, I know you don't really think to try and have things for your self, and, I, I just wanted to make sure you stayed warm since, well, you guys are all keeping us safe." She told him refolding a pair of pants she'd had in her hand.

"Thanks, I see you fixed the place up nice." He commented looking around, she'd dug out the cell's window, and cleaned the glass, it had been covered in ivy and cobwebs before.

"Well, you said you couldn't see the sun, now you can, and I know you like your privacy, so, I know it's not that great, but it was all I could manage." She told him, he looked around with a renewed sense of gratitude, she had done all of this for him even though he was a total dick to her.

"I like it, do you still have the chalk you used on the door?" He asked trying to do something for her like what she did for him.

"It's in the box on top of my bag." She told him a little confused by his question, why would he need chalk. He went over and took out a small white piece of chalk kicking off his boots, he climbed up on the bed and started drawing something on the ceiling.

Carol kept organizing the room trying not to watch him, she knew he didn't really like being watched. He stepped of the bed back into his boots and looked over his work with a nod he put the chalk back in the box.

Carol looked up at his drawing, it was a grouping of stars of some kind, she had never really known much about the constellations, but it was pretty.

"What is it?" She asked staring at it with a smile, he looked back up at it, he hoped she'd like it and not be offended or something, he didn't really get her.

"Andromeda, they call her the chained lady, her momma was vane and went around telling everybody how pretty her daughter was, and it pissed off the gods and such, so they ordered her sacrificed. They chained her to a rock and this big ol sea monster was gonna eat her, but Perseus saved her, and killed the monster. And even though she was supposed to marry this other guy, they got married, and lived long happy lives, right after he killed the mother fucker who tried to take her away again. She gives people hope, you know, like even when things look shitty it could still turn out pretty good." He told her, he knew his explanation wasn't that great, but that was all he remembered.

"That's beautiful, thank you, you always see the beauty in everything when everyone else just sees a lost cause." She said laying on the bed so she could look up at his drawing of the constellation Andromeda.

"Ya, I get it, I'm a fucking pussy, no need to rub it in." he told her looking out the window at the fading sun set.

"No you're not, stop doing that to yourself, it was a compliment, not everyone's trying to hurt you." She mumbled, it was one of the most assertive things he'd ever heard her say.

"Ya well, not in my experience." He told her kicking his boots back off and getting into the bed, killing walkers for eight hours straight, only broken up by running, or trudging had him pretty beat.

"Well, I'm not." She said lifting her head so he had room for his arms, since they had no pillow, he stretched out his left arm for her, and laid on his right hand. She laid back on his arm trying to be as impersonal as she could in this scenario, but really she just wanted to snuggle into his chest.

"I know." He mumbled closing his eyed, trying to shut out her comforting words in this harsh world. That's how it went for the next few days, they were getting a real rhythm down, they'd cleared out the shower, and a lot of cell blocks, but they hadn't found the cafeteria yet, that's what Daryl, Rick, and Hershel were looking for that day.


	4. Chapter 4

Daryl woke up early leaving Carol asleep, he even kissed the top of her head, she was quickly becoming his port in the storm, and it scared him, so he did what he could to stay distant. He met up with Rick, and Hershel at the end of the hall they'd cleared the day before.

"We have to be pretty close now, I don't think it'll be empty, so stay close, don't brake rank, and if we get chased we have a door to shut every cell block, just like before, got it, Daryl, you lead." Rick rattled off his daily speech about staying safe, Daryl rolled his eyes and rounded the corner.

It was two more turns before they found what they were looking for, the huge cafeteria, but Rick was right, it was far from empty. There were walkers every where, and as soon as his boot hit the floor around that corner, one looked up and moaned to the others that dinner had arrived.

"Fuck, get back, back!" Daryl's harsh whisper had the others running back, Daryl grabbed the gate around the corner sliding it shut, he couldn't let those fuckers get back to Carol. As it latched closed, they flung themselves at the bars and one chomped down on his finger through the bar.

"Fuck!" He called out slicing the tip of his left hand middle finger clean off in hopes that it would stop the infection. He pressed it against his chest and ran after the group closing gates as he went. Hurt like a bitch, but it was better then dieing.

"What happened, are you okay?" Hershel asked when they'd finally slowed down long enough to regroup.

"No, one of those fucking geeks bit my fucking finger, I cut fucker off, but..." He held out his hand to Hershel, who bandaged it quickly, looking over at rick worriedly.

"You think that could stop the infection?" Rick asked Hershel, Hershel shook his head giving Daryl a look of pity.

"I don't know, it's possible, but I just don't know." Hershel said honestly, Rick looked at Daryl with a sad half hopeful smile.

"We gotta get you back, we'll lock you up until we know for sure, I'm sorry, but we can't risk the group." Rick told him, Daryl nodded looking at his finger with a death glare.

"I get it, I get fucking shot, stabbed, impaled, burned and sliced on, and a little fucking nip is gonna do me in, ain't gonna happen. Lockin me up though, it's just common fucking sense." Daryl told them walking out in front of them so he couldn't turn and jump them.

They got back to the cell block, and Carol looked up at him with a genuine smile, that faded fast when she saw the looks on there faces. They looked like a funeral procession.

"What happened?" Lori asked before Carol could find the words, they all turned to Daryl who held up his left hand.

"Found the cafeteria, it was crawling with walkers, got bit closing the gate, I cut it off quick though, so we'll see. It ain't a big deal." Daryl told them plainly, he looked over at Carol, she had fallen to her knees, weeping, she was the only one though, the rest of them just stared in shock.

"We're gonna lock him up until we know if he's infected, we're not taking any chances." Rick told the group. Carol took a deep breath and stood up looking frighteningly calm.

"We can use my room, he should at lest be comfortable, and I can stay with him, to make sure we know one way or the other right away." Carol said, her voice a low commanding tone that no one had ever heard before.

"Carol, he migh..." Rick started, but she held her hand up silencing him with the unmasked devastation in her eyes, he was the last thing in this world she cared about, and he would not be in command of his death.

"Rick, please, just do it, I know the risks. I won't sleep in there, but, I won't have him sleeping on the floor." She told him, Daryl shook the look of total shock of his face.

"Don't I get a say in this?" He asked, she looked at him and smiled sweetly.

"No." She told him plainly tears threatened to well up in her eyes again.

"Why the hell not, I'm the one who's fucking dying?" He asked a little offended by her lack of concern for what he wanted.

"Because if it were up to you, you'd just walk off and die, and if they threw you in a cell with a guard they'd shoot you the first time you sneezed. I refuse to let that happen, you don't get to die just because everyone's afraid. Please, I can't lose you too." She pleaded, they may have been sharing a room, but this was the first time they'd been even a little public about there feelings.

"Guess it doesn't fucking matter where I die." He mumbled conceding to her request, which had everyone a little shocked, Daryl bowed to no man if he disagreed, but this was different.

They took him to there room and locked Daryl in with Carol, he didn't like that Carol was on the inside of the bars, but she was probably safe for a while. Carol sat on the bed while he paced, he should probably rest or something, but he didn't want to close his eyes.

"I'm sorry I made you come in here, I'm just afraid even if you weren't infected rick would kill you." She told him, he shrugged, he wouldn't put it past him, but then he might have asked for it. He didn't want her to see him that way.

"Ya well, you certainly grew a set of fucking balls while I was out, didn't even know you could raise your voice." He told her, she smiled weakly, she looked so broken.

"You're the last thing in this world that I care about, the only reason Sophia didn't kill me, so what did I really have to lose." She explained he stopped his pacing and looked over at her, tears were streaming down her cheeks in silent agony.

"Hey, I might not even fucking die, don't cry yet, besides, I ain't nothing to cry over." He told her, trying to be reassuring, she smiled meekly, but it was obvious that it hadn't helped so he went over and crouched in front of her.

"Stop cryin, I ain't gonna sit here and let you watch me die, what kind of sick fuck do you think I am. Hell if any one can beat this shit it's me." He told her putting his good hand over her two clasped hands, he hated seeing her cry.

"Ya, you're right, just don't you give up either." She whispered grasping his hand with both of hers desperately. He gave her what passed for a smile for him, she leaned forward dropping her head on his shoulder and cried silently, just finding solace in him.

"I won't." He whispered wrapping his arms around her, he would never admit it, but he cried too, there with her, he'd never been afraid to die, but why now when he had something to live for?

"You should go get some sleep, ain't gonna do either of us a lick a good if you fall asleep and leave me unguarded." He told her standing up and pacing over to the other side of the cell, she whipped her eyes dry.

"If you need anything I won't be far." She told him going over and knocking on the bars of the cell. It swung open, Rick had apparently sent T-Dog up to guard him, she sighed walking out and letting him shut the door behind her.

"Hey, what happened?" He asked seeing her puffy red eyes, she sniffed whipping her eyes again.

"Daryl was bitten, it was just his finger, and he cut it off as soon as it happened, but we don't know if he was infected." She told him her voice cracking with tears.

"Holy shit! Daryl? But he's Daryl, shit man. What the hell are we gonna do if he dies, he's the guy everyone looks to to make sure things get done." T-Dog mumbled mostly to himself.

"I know." She whispered looking at the floor.

"He saved my ass more times then I can count, hell, I never even thanked him." T-Dog told her, she nodded solemnly.

"You should tell him that, he doesn't think he matters to the group, I mean I don't think anybody's ever thanked him, and he's saved us all at one point or another." Carol told him, T-Dog looked guiltily at the floor.

"Man, that's crazy, if anybody matters in this group it's that crazy ass redneck." T-Dog put in, Daryl sighed, she knew he could hear them, she had to.

"Tell him, he needs to hear things like that, so he doesn't give up." Carol said pointedly, that was it.

"You know I can fucking hear you, the wall's made out of newspapers, not lead, you infuriating bitch." He grumbled, she laughed, of coarse she knew, that was the point. Carol told T-dog he could go get some sleep, she was going to keep watch.

Daryl tore a bit of the newspaper down in the corner, so he could look through and see what was going on out there, he may like his privacy, but the didn't like being locked away. He crawled into the bed but sleep didn't come, it felt empty, and cold, not to mention he didn't know if he'd ever wake up again if he slept.

"You still awake?" He asked quietly, not really expecting an answer.

"Ya." Her soft voice surprised him, but in a good way, he closed his eyes, so he could hear her better.

"You should get some sleep." He told her, she laughed, a sad weepy sound.

"You too." She answered, he smirked, she had a point, but he didn't care he couldn't sleep like this.

"Ya well, the bed's to big alone." He told her, he could hear her start to cry on the other side of the newspaper barrier. "Why the hell do you care?" He asked the question that was always weighing on his mind around her.

"Because you do too." She told him plainly, he sat up frustrated by her non answer.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" He asked her, she shifted against the bars, whipping away her tears.

"In the time I've known you, you've cared more for me then Ed did our whole marriage, no one ever cares about me, no one would even notice me, no one but you. Even before Ed died, or Sophie, you were always nice to me, you always cared." She told him, he shook his head, he'd been nothing but rude to her, was that really all it took, just look her way and be better then Ed, not very high standards.

"Right, you wouldn't have even looked twice at me before your little girl ran off, hell no one thought twice about me before this shit, least ways not women. And why the hell would you, I ain't nothing special." He told her, she shook her head wishing she wasn't locked on the other side of the wall.

"That's not true." She tried to convince him.

"Ya, you would a been lining up to be with the likes a me before the walkers." He said sarcastically.

"Yes, hell yes, I would have lined up to be with the man who keeps his word, who provides for those he cares for, who looked after another mans daughter, the man who see's me, who let's me just be myself, who needs to be loved, who would never hurt me, and would always stand up for me, who might think I'm sexy, and definitely is himself. You're a man of honor, and I wish you could see that." She sobbed, Daryl was dumbstruck by her description of him, no one had ever had a nice thing to say about him before her.

They were silent for a long time, he was starting to sweat even though he was cold, and he knew what that moment, and in that moment he knew what had to be done. He wasn't going to make that beautiful infuriating woman watch him die.

"Just get some sleep you infuriating woman." He told her, she laughed, she knew he wasn't being mean when he said things like that, and he hadn't even said bitch so he wasn't mad at her. Daryl laid there feeling numb, he refused to cry like a pussy, but he was honestly afraid.

By morning he was pale and he knew he had a fever, he sat up frustrated by how little sleep he'd gotten, hoping Carol had gotten more.

"You awake?" He asked mopping the sweat from his brow with his shirt.

"Yes, I didn't sleep." She told him, he sighed, of coarse not.

"Hey, you send up Rick, I, I wanna say some shit, and I don't want you listening?" He told her, he could hear her standing up.

"Of coarse, I'll wait downstairs then when he wants out you can holler." She told him, he heard her head towards the downstairs.

"Thanks." He said, not really to her, but loud enough that she might hear him, she stopped turning back to look at the cell. She hated having that wall of paper there, she wanted to see him, he didn't sound well. She would have cried, but she was running out of tears, she'd cried so much in her life, she had to be strong now, for Daryl.

"Rick, Daryl wanted to talk to you." Carol told him as she reached the door to there cell, Lori looked flustered, like they'd been fighting, Carol almost smiled, at least she wasn't blindly okay with Rick killing people.

"Ya, okay, I'll be right back." Rick told her, she huffed, but let him go.

"Sorry." Carol said not really meaning it, Lori shook her head.

"No, Daryl, Daryl might not have long, he's more important then our tiff, are you okay, how are you holding up?" Lori asked, Carol could feel a crack in her resolve not to cry.

"I'm dealing, I don't know what I'm going to do if he doesn't make it." She admitted with the weakest broken smile Lori had ever seen.

"I know you care about him, more then anyone knows, he's a good man, I'll pray for him." Lori told her, Lori wasn't too religious, but she knew Carol was.

"Thank you." Carol said her voice cracking, they sat down on the bed and folded the pile of clothes to try and occupy her time until she could go back to Daryl.

Rick opened the door to Daryl's cell he walked in and moved to shut the door behind him, but Daryl held his hand out to stop him.

"I can't stay here Rick, I won't make you guys watch me die, I need you to get me back my cross bow, and let me out of this prison, if I make it I'll come back, if not well you'll know why." He told him blunt as ever, Rick was stunned for a moment.

"You can't expect me to just let you out the front door, the yard is crawling with walkers." Rick tried to argue the point, Daryl shook his head.

"I don't give a fuck, just let me out, I won't put her at risk just cause you don't feel up to it, I ain't asking for your help, just open the door." Daryl told him, Rick stood there silent for a minute, and then nodded. He knew he wouldn't want to make Lori watch him die if there positions were reversed.

"Okay, when?" Rick asked plainly.

"Now. I don't want Carol to know." He told him, Rick nodded stepping aside and letting Daryl walk past. They went down the stairs in silence only Hershel was in the common area, he looked up when Daryl picked up his crossbow, he could tell from just a look how bad off Daryl was. He got up and went over shaking his hand in a symbol of friendship as they left.

It didn't take long to get to the gate to the outside, Daryl could see walkers wandering around everywhere. He took a deep breath and got ready to run.

"You sure about this?" Rick asked, Daryl shot him the Dixon stare.

"I made my choice, lets not pussy foot around it, open the damn door. And hey you make sure this doesn't happen to her, you fucking promise." Daryl said as he went out the door and it closed behind him, he started just shambling slowly across the yard like a walker, no need to run until it became an issue, he didn't have the energy to run the whole thing anyway.

"I promise." Rick said quietly, to his surprise they didn't even look twice at him, he really must be infected, because, to these walkers he was kin not food.

Rick went back to the group as soon as he lost sight of Daryl, glad that the walkers hadn't swarmed on him, but all the more worried for him because of it.

"Hey, Daryl's gonna get some sleep, did you want to keep watch or should I ask Hershel?" Rick asked when he came into his room, Carol shook her head.

"I will." She told him going up to sit by the Cell, Rick sat down covering his face with both hands.

"What did he want to tell you." Lori asked, Rick sighed looking up at her.

"He wanted to leave, so Carol wouldn't have to watch him die, he's infected, he looks like death, so I, I let him, he made me promise not to tell Carol until she couldn't come after him. The walkers didn't even look twice at him out there." Rick told her, she slumped down, Daryl was the last real survivor they had in the group, and now he was gone.


	5. Chapter 5

Carol sat by the cage door for a few minutes, but then she was overwhelmed by this feeling of being alone, she tore open the door to the cell, and found it empty. She spun around furiously picking up her bow, and arrows. She went silently down the stairs surrounded by a cloud of hate.

She came into Ricks cell and went straight for him pulling her Machete out thrusting it into his face.

"What the Fuck did you do!?" She yelled, Rick took a startled step back into the wall.

"Carol, please calm down." Lori said quietly, Carol shot her a wild, crazed, desperate glare.

"He didn't want to be locked up anymore, he went outside." Rick told her, she spun around and started marching towards the door. Rick pushed himself off the wall to follow her.

"Carol, wait, you can't go out there he made me promise not to let anything happen to you, Carol!" He called after her, when he grabbed her arm she raised the machete wildly.

"If you touch me again I will cut it off, you had no right, I won't lose him!" She screamed, tears streaming down her face. She turned and ran full tilt down the hall way, Rick was stunned for a minute by her uncharacteristic behavior, being with him ha made her stronger, but then took off following her, T-dog followed them, and Hershel closed the gate behind them since Carol had left them all open when they reached the gate outside they were slowed up by a slow stream of walkers coming through the front door, which was swinging open.

Carol wildly slashed past any walkers she saw, they were following her, but she didn't care, when she made it to the wood line, she turned killing a few of the closer walkers, she was getting tired, but she refused to stop.

She was frantically searching for any trace of Daryl, but he'd never taught her to track she had no idea where to look. She had to keep stopping to kill walkers, eventually one over powered her tossing her on the ground, she was only holding it's face away just barely with the machete.

She could feel it tearing at her, and she was terrified she was going to die like Dale, she knew she was calling out for Daryl, but her mind was too scared to even hear her own voice. Then the Walker collapsed a small metal tip sticking out of it's skull, but it slid out when it fell towards her. The body was kicked off her.

"Now, hows about a big hug for you old pal Merle." The voice actually made her more scared then the walkers, at least all they'd do was kill her.

"Merle." Carol said scrambling to her feet, Merle was holding a hand gun, and his missing hand had some type of prosthetic with a knife strapped to it.

"Now here I was minded my own when I here some bitch chortling my baby brothers name all over God and creation, and it turns out to be the hot little piece a ass that last I saw was getting beat by her husband. Why the fuck you so worried about Daryl now, he ain't none a your business, unless he's been fucking you on the side. Fucking a didn't think he had it in him, hell crossed me that he might be a fucking queer, would had to kick the fuckers ass, good for him, don't fucking move." Merle said just as she had twitched the machete towards him, she froze when he pointed the gun at her.

"Now drop the fucking knife bitch, and tell me where the fuck my brother is." Merle told her, she did as she was told tossing the machete at his feet.

"I don't know, he was worried that he was infected, so he left, I was trying to find him." She told him, he looked around at the tracks she'd left, like a heard of wild elephants, but if Daryl didn't want to be followed, even Merle would have a hard time doing it.

"Well, guess I better go fucking find him, toss them arrows over bitch, and we'll get you back where you fucking belong." Merle told her, she tossed the quiver over, he holstered his gun long enough to pick up her things. She could have hit him with the bow, but she was pretty sure, it would only piss him off, and she was too tired to run.

He lead her at gun point to a camp of sorts, there was a tent pitched in the back of a truck tied down, and covered with a sheet of plastic, he lead her up into it, he climbed in after her. She recognized the glint in his eyes, it was the same as the one Ed had given her before he took her, weather she wanted it or not.

"Lay on your fucking front bitch!" He ordered her, she did what he said biting her lip trying not to sob, she'd sworn she'd never let this happen to her again. Merle straddled her roughly, he grabbed her hands pulling them together.

"Don't fucking move!" He ordered as he awkwardly tied her wrists together with one hand, the ropes were tight, and they pulled her shoulders back roughly. He moved down and tied her feet together in the same way.

"Don't need you runnin off while I find my brother, so don't fucking move." he told her getting up, the truck shifted as he leaped off it to look for Daryl, that was some hope, if he brought Daryl back, Daryl would save her, here she was again helpless, she cursed inwardly.

Daryl had made it to the woods and was stumbling towards the bar, he hoped anyway, the whole world was getting fuzzy. He ended up floating down a river for an immeasurable amount of time before the cold water brought him back to reality.

He stumbled out of the water, and the world was twisting and distorted, he could tell he was hallucinating, he'd only been through it once before, when Merle had used magic mushrooms in something he'd cooked, and he'd hated it then too.

He collapsed under a tree, and passed out, he was pretty sure he was dead any way, and he'd lost his cross bow somewhere so he couldn't even end it.

Merle went back to where he'd found Carol and followed her tracks back until he found where they crossed Daryl's, he followed them, after a few minutes he found a crossbow that he knew was Daryl's dropped carelessly in the leaves.

Daryl must have been in bad shape, because from then on the tracks swerved, crossed, and sometimes even looked like he'd fallen down and just laid there. The river threw him for a little while, but eventually he picked the trail back up, by the next morning he'd found Daryl laying under a tree covered in sweat, he was shivering, like he'd recently broken a fever.

"You dead?" He asked kicking him roughly, Daryl's eyes shot open, to his surprise he felt fantastic, then he saw Merle.

"Ugh, am I fucking dead, because if so heaven heaven fucking sucks?" He said sitting up and whipping the sweat off his face.

"You're not fucking dead you pansy ass little pussy, get the fuck up, and give ol Merle a hug." He joked Daryl got shakily to his feet, stretching out. Now that he was up some of the ache was back, but he felt way better.

"Merle, where the fuck you been, I looked for you." Daryl said looking for his cross bow, then he saw it on Merle's back.

"Surviving, and doing a far better job of it then you fucks it seems, you dropped this." Merle told him pulling the bow off when he saw Daryl eye it, and tossed it to him. He caught it comforted by it's weight.

"Ya, well I thought I was fucking dieing. Guess I was wrong." He said looking back up to Merle, Merle laughed.

"Ya, well you always did over react, you pussy, now pull yourself together and come back to my fucking camp." Merle told him, Daryl smiled wanting to go with him, but he needed to go back and find Carol, if he wasn't gonna die, he wanted to be with her.

"Na, I gotta get back, you should come with." He told him turning backwards about where he figured the prison must be.

"You're siding with officer friendly, that fucking prick that cuffed me to a fucking roof, and left me to fucking die. You're choosing them over blood, you ungrateful fucking bitch!" Merle yelled watching him walk away, Daryl didn't even stop. It hurt to hear his brother like that, but he didn't have time to waste, and it was nothing new.

He couldn't let her hurt for a second longer then she had to, she'd suffered way more then she ever should have already. It was a fast easy trek back to the prison, but getting back in would be an issue. Rick had locked the front behind him, so he'd need to find the back way in, and actually get in through it while not looking like a walker, cause he didn't really feel like getting shot again.

So he started around to get back to her, Carol had rolled over and fallen asleep on her side, she didn't feel safe, but she hadn't slept in almost two days, and he was gone for longer then she could count.

"Well, looks like my baby broth doesn't give a fucking shit about me, or you, still kicking though, so you and me, we're gonna spend some quality time, you're gonna tell me what the fuck happened while I was away. Then I'm gonna go in there and gut your friends, don't worry though, not gonna touch you till I can make him watch, that's what he gets for fucking picking them over me." He told her kicking her in the stomach.

He pulled her up into a sitting position and pulled out a beat up lawn chair and sat down himself pointing his gun at her. He stared for a second and when she said nothing he slammed the pistol across her face. It drew blood, and tears from her.

"I, I don't know, where, where do you want me to start?" She sobbed, overwhelmed by the helpless feeling she hadn't felt since Ed.

"Tell me every little fucking thing, especially about Rick and my little fucking pussy fuck of a brother from the second I left." He told her, so that's what she did, she told him every little detail she could think of, the more she talked the longer she had before he hurt someone.

Daryl yanked a bolt out of the skull of another dead walker, he was in the building, now, but he had no fucking clue where the cell block they were in. He stopped whipping the sweat and blood off his face, fuck he missed showers.

He rounded yet another corner, but this time he was met with a locked gate instead of a hall full of walkers. He knocked another bolt ready to defend himself, then knocked on the bars hard.

"Hey, wake the fuck up and let me back in!" He yelled as loud as he could afford, most of the walkers on the way in were dead, but there were plenty more where that came from.

"Daryl?" He heard T-dogs voice echoed down the hall, Daryl sighed still keeping an eye on the hall behind him.

"Who the Fuck else could it be, get over here and let me the fuck in." He called back, T-dog came rushing around the corner and stopped at the sight of him, he must have looked pretty gross if he caused that kind of reaction.

"Damn man we all thought you were dead, did, did Carol find you, is she with you?" T-dog asked opening the gate, Daryl stopped in his tracks at that.

"What the hell do you mean, did Carol find me, no I left her here so she'd be safe, what the fuck happened?" He asked looking furious, T-dog shut the door and looked at the ground.

"She went after you when she found out you left, almost two days ago, we tried to follow her, but her trail just disappeared. There was no body or anything, just a trail of dead walkers, only one was killed with something other then a machete, we thought you'd shot it." T-dog told him, he was fuming, he turned and slammed his fist into the wall.

"Merle, Fucking a, how could you let her go!?" He asked, T-dog had never seen Daryl look so mad in his life, not even when Merle was left behind.

"I don't think let would be the word I used, she threatened to chop Ricks hand off if he tried to stop her." T-dog told him, he laughed despite his worry, she really had a set on her since she'd started hanging out with him, guess he was a bad influence.

"Take me to her fucking trail, I'll find them." He growled, T-dog took a cautious step back, Daryl shook his head.

"Don't be such a fucking pussy, I'm not going to hurt you, no hurry the fuck up." He told him rushing down the hall before he knew weather or not T-dog was going to follow him or not. Daryl walked straight through the cell block with the rest of the group without so much as a word.

"T-dog, was that Daryl, is he okay, was Carol with him?" Rick asked as T-dog came rushing after him.

"Yes, kind of, and no, that's why he's all rampaging and shit, he says he's going to find her." T-dog explained rushing after him. Rick ran after them, and once again Hershel was left at the cell block with the women.

"Daryl, stop, she's been out there for days we haven't had any sign that she's alive, are you really going to risk your life to find her body?" Rick asked, he'd stopped the search that day, to avoid another Sofia incident. Daryl stopped to look at him and punched him right in the face.

"Fuck you, I made you promise to keep her safe, is this how you fucking do that, she chased after me even though she all but knew I was dead, and you ain't gonna go find her even though you have no fucking clue what happened to her?" He asked turning back to rush towards Carol's trail.

"She's chose to leave the group, she's not some lost little girl, maybe she didn't want to be found." Rick told him clutching his face, Daryl shook his head, but kept walking.

"Bullshit, where's your fucking humanity now?" Daryl asked yanking the Door to the outside open. He was out in the yard without a second thought, the walkers didn't seem to care until the others joined him, there were far less then before.

They walked for a while killing walkers and following a days old elephant trail basicly, he could tell how frantic she'd been when she'd come through here. When he got to the end of the trail he saw exactly what he'd thought he'd see. Her tracks on the ground and getting up, and Merle's tracks saving her, then carrying her off after they'd stood for a bit.

"Merle has her." Daryl told them following Merle's very feint tracks. It didn't take long for him to figure out Merle had been leading Carol with some kind of weapon, and it made Daryl furious. They walked in silence for about fifteen more minutes before Daryl stopped them.

They'd all been a little too concerned that Daryl might flip out to talk to him, but now they were both too curious. Daryl was pulling out his cross bow loading it, and getting ready for a confrontation. Before they had a chance to ask though, Daryl pointed at a patch of blue they could see through the trees.

They knew exactly what that meant, there was no way the shade of blue was natural, so they pulled out there weapons and hung back, if it was Merle only Daryl had a chance of reasoning with him, and only if he didn't see them.

"As soon as you see her, you get her out of here, let me handle Merle, Don't fuck this one up Rick." Daryl told them and pushed his way into the clearing.

Carol had run out of things to tell Merle a few minutes ago, and now he was just sitting there thinking about something. Carol jumped when she heard him speak again in his harsh voice, that reminded her so much of how Ed sounded.

"You fucking pussy ass bitch, I can hear you out there, you're losing your touch, need to pop that cherry, maybe then you wouldn't be such a bitch, you come to your senses and now you want to apologize like the little bitch you are?" Merle asked getting up and looking out of the tent. Daryl was standing at the edge of the clearing with his crossbow trained on Merle's chest.

"You gonna fucking shoot me now?" Merle asked, Daryl lowered his crossbow a bit and shook his head.

"Sorry brother, didn't know who was in there for sure, looking for Carol." He told him, he wanted to know how this would play out before he made any decisions.

"Daryl!" Carol's shocked, ecstatic voice called out from in the tent. Daryl's grip tightened on his weapon, glad to hear she was alive, but worried about what Merle might have done to her.

"You alright?" He called out to her, before she could answer Merle hopped off the back of his truck.

"She's been keeping me company, since you seem more interested in pigs an niggers, you really want that beat up wasted piece a cunt back, cause if you ain't poundin that chewed up piece a ass I might take a stab or two before I toss her?" Merle asked curling his lips back challenging Daryl wanted to hurt Merle more then he'd ever want to hurt anyone in his life in that moment.

"Don't you ever fucking talk about her like that!" Daryl growled, he couldn't have stopped himself from saying it if he'd wanted to.

"So you do wanna fuck her, well what the fuck you waitin for brother?" He asked jumping up, pulling her out of the tent, slicing her jeans open, ripping them off and throwing her on the ground at his feet. "Have a stab!" Merle laughed, Daryl didn't even think, he shot Merle in the thigh, not lethal, dropped his crossbow pulled off his coat and went over covering her up. He pulled his knife out and cut the rope on her arms.

"You fucking shot me! You, Fucking shot me for that cunt!" Merle yelled yanking the bolt out and getting up to come at him. Daryl stood to meet him holding his knife in one hand, ready to defend himself if he had to.

"I Don't wanna fight you Merle, just let me take Carol back and we can settle this." Daryl said with little hope that Merle would listen.

"Too fucking bad you fucking shot me, I'm gonna take it out a your fuckin ass!" Merle yelled swinging at Daryl with his prosthetic, Daryl stepped in to the blow to avoid the knife strapped to it, and punched Merle in the side over and over until Merle threw him to the ground.

Merle was stronger, but Daryl was faster, Rick and T-dog ran out of the brush to help Carol out of her bonds and to her feet. Daryl was in a bear hug from Merle now, and Merle was trying to crush his ribs, Daryl slammed his head into Merle's nose with a crack, spraying blood over Daryl's face.

"Come on, we need to get you out of here." T-dog told Carol when she was resisting there attempts to drag her away from the scene.

"No, I'm not leaving, you go if your so worried about getting back, I won't leave him." She told them, the two men exchanged an exasperated look.

"Fine, but at least stand out a the way, Daryl asked us to keep you safe." Rick told her, Rick wanted to go help Daryl, but he said he'd deal with Merle and he'd let him unless he looked desperate.

"You're just gonna stand by and watch this, he's hurt!?" Carol pleaded, rick shook his head, "Daryl wanted to deal with Merle, it's not my place to interfere." Rick told her, she wanted to argue.

"I ain't no fuckin bitch that needs saving now get the fuck out a here!" Daryl yelled to her when he'd pushed Merle back, Merle charged him, and he instinctively side stepped, sending Merle flying past him.

Carol didn't want to go, but she could tell her being here was distracting him, so she trudged off into the bushes and leaned against a tree officially as far away as she could handle, after a few minutes the sounds of fighting were dwindling.

It took about twenty minutes before they'd fought each other into the ground, Daryl knew at lest one of his ribs was broken, and his noes, Merle had a broken noes his leg was still bleeding, and he had lost a few teeth.

"Not bad brother, guess you really fucking like her." Merle breathed hard ripping his sleeve off to bandage his leg, Daryl laughed.

"Ya, not to mention you're a fucking dick, don't ever fucking touch her again, next time I'll aim better." Daryl told him, Merle laughed.

"Noted, didn't know you'd be so touchy, you need to get laid, but then We both knew that, fine fucking crawl back to your friends, apologize to your woman for me, but I ain't goin nowhere." Merle told him, Daryl stumbled to his feet clutching his side.

"See ya round brother." Daryl said before he stumbled towards the prison, he'd hardly gone ten feet when he saw the group. Carol rushed over to help him, but he brushed her off.

"Me and Merle came to an understanding, now let's get the hell out a here." He said refusing any help as he trudged back towards the prison. An awkward hush fell over the group after the second attempt to offer to help him.

"This is ridiculous you're rib is obviously broken, why won't you let us help you?" Carol finally asked what they'd all been thinking.

"If you'd leave me be, or you'd kept your damn promise, or you'd stayed to help my fucking brother the first time, none a this shit would a happened, why should I let you start helping me now?" He asked, he wasn't really that mad anymore, it was more of a point of pride, but he wouldn't have them molly coddling him, just cause he got in a fight that was how he and his brother communicated, it was nothing new.

"Why do you hate it so much when I care about you?" She asked holding back more tears, she felt like she'd cried more then any one else she'd ever met. Rick and T-dog hurried past them leaving the conversation that obviously wasn't any of there business.

"Why do you still care, I ain'tbrought you nothin but pain, II ain't like that, I ain't Ed!" He yelled raising his hand the way he did when he was mad, but this time she knew he wouldn't hurt her.

"Stop it, stop doing that, you're nothing like him, you're the only good thing I have left, why can't you see that?" she pleaded, he threw his arms up in frustration, then doubled over in pain.

"Fuck, because I don't fucking want to, you don't know anything about me, what was my daddy's name, what's my middle name, where'd I grow up? It's the end a the fucking world, ya I like you, but I ain't never dealt with that when I had a life, how do you expect me to when I'm barely keeping us alive, so just find some one else to fixate on." He yelled turning and walking off, he fumed for the rest of the walk while she just stared, they went in through the back where there were less walkers.


	6. Chapter 6

Daryl got to the gate last, they were all through and well on there way back to the cell block so Daryl closed the gate and fell to his knees whipping his eyes in frustration, he wanted to be with her, but he knew exactly how it would end with her laughing in his inexperienced face.

He hated how much of a coward he was, but he wouldn't be able to handle that look that he'd seen any time he'd asked a girl out on her face. That 'why would I ever care about you' look, the only look he'd ever gotten.

She liked him, more then a little, but she really didn't know him, fuck no one had ever cared about him, even Merle cared more about his drugs then Daryl most of the time. He took a deep breath cursing himself for being a pussy and pulled himself to his feet.

"They told me you broke your rib." Hershel said as he came around the corner, Daryl did his best to bury his emotions again.

"Merle's got a hell of a new arm." Daryl told him, Hershel nodded helping him up to the cot that he'd shared with Carol, Hershel wrapped his rips, and reset his noes, ordering him to get bed rest until his ribs were healed.

He laid there for a few hours unable to sleep, and in that time Carol didn't come any where near there cell. In fact she didn't come to see him at all until the next evening, she brought him food, she handed it to him, looked longingly at him and then just went to leave.

"Thanks." Daryl managed to get out before she got to the door, and that was all it took to open the flood gates.

"You're right, I don't know anything about your past and stuff, but I know you're a good guy, and I'd be more then willing to listen if you'd let me." She told him with this desperate sad look in her eyes that broke his heart.

"Ya, I guess, tell me something then." He told her, she smiled letting out a breath of relief she hadn't even known she was holding. Daryl still thought this was a bad idea, but it actually physically hurt to see her look like that, or maybe it was his rib.

"I was born in Florida, even though my mamma didn't live there. My mom's name was Sarah, I never met my dad, but mamma said he wasn't worth meeting, and my middle name is lee." She told him, he smiled her life before Ed didn't sound so bad.

"Middle name's Eugene, would appreciate you not spreading that around, I was born in Georgia, Mamma's name was Vicky, Dad was Earl, he lost it when Mamma died, I can't remember her much, but Merle says she was a hell of a gal, might as well sit if we're gonna spill our whole life story. I ain't talked about this with any one before, so don't expect much." He told her, she smiled going over to sit next to him, she would never be able to predict when he'd be happy, or mad that she cared, but moments like this made it more then worth it.

"What do ya wanna know?" Daryl asked shifting so he could look at her, in his half seated position.

"What was the happiest moment you can remember?" She asked, he thought about it for a long moment, longer then she would have expected.

"When I turned thirteen my Dad was gone God knows where, Merle he actually remembered my birthday, he got me a crossbow, well stole it, but I didn't know that then. We spent two days in the woods hunting, cooking over an open fire, it was the longest anyone ever spent talkin to me, the last time any one remembered my birthday. It was nice." He told her, she set her hand on his leg gently in a gesture of kind pity, but he didn't mind this time, he covered her hand with his.

"When is your birthday?" She asked nudging him slightly with her shoulder, he rolled his eyes.

"Ain't really important now, ain't like we know what month it is." He countered, she pouted slightly, he laughed shaking his head, she looked kinda cute like that.

"It's November thirteenth, ya whiner." He told her cocking an eyebrow at her pout, she smiled, it had to be getting close now, it was colder, and the leaves were turning. She'd have to do something for him.

"The thirteenth hu, no wonder you're so unlucky." She joked, he laughed shrugging.

"Friday the thirteenth at midnight, guess I was destined to be in this horror show, bout you?" He asked, moving to put less pressure on his rib, which was only fractured, but still hurt like a bitch.

"December 27th." She told him, he grimaced sympatheticly, even he usually got a Christmas present from Merle when he was around.

"Sounds like a good excuse to buy fewer presents." He sympathized, she shrugged.

"Mamma was usually gone with her work, so Chad, my older brother by five years, he always told me I didn't deserve presents twice a year that's why God made my birthday so close to Christmas." She told him, he clenched his fist, he hated the idea of her hurting.

"Sounds like your brother might mach up with Merle." Daryl said with a sad smile, she shrugged, she was so used to being mistreated it didn't even phase her.

"I never minded, I just, honestly I'm happier here with you, then I ever was, even if you did just nearly die. I miss Sophie, but I'm, God, it's awful of me, but I am happy." She told him, he smiled rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand, where his still rested.

"Should be a good thing." He told her, she leaned her head against the wall looking guilty, her fingers going to the missing part of his hand.

"It is, I just feel like my being happy betrays her memory, it's so hard for me to let myself live without her memory haunting me, the only time I feel normal is with you, and you keep pushing me away." She told him giving him a pointed look, he sighed looking away from her.

"Still haven't told me you're happiest moment." He said trying to change the subject, she smiled letting him distract her, like he wanted.

"Before I met Ed, I was still living with Mamma and Chad had left for Iraq, she came back from New york with pizza, and we rented movies, and we spent two days watching movies, and eating junk food. It was one of the few times I got to see her without Chad, it was nice." She said using his words mockingly, he laughed, putting his hand to his rib.

"Hell, you're hard on my health woman." He told her, she looked worried for a half second, but when she saw him still smiling she ignored him.

"Do you, Do, I could go if you want." She , it obviously wasn't what she wanted to ask.

"Spit it out woman." He told her, she looked down at his hand on hers, she lifted her fingers tangling them with his to hold his hand. He looked at her then there hands, not sure he was comfortable with where this question seemed to be going, but he didn't mind this moment with her hand in his.

"Am I, am I wasting my time, I mean I like you, and if you just wanna be friends I can handle that, I'm a big girl but, I wanna know, do you even like me like that, I know I'm not exactly beautiful, but, I..." She looked so hopeless, like she was so sure there was no reason why he'd care for her, and it broke through his resolve.

He interrupted her self deprecating rant by pulling her gently closer with both hand on either side of her face kissing her. It was a clumsy, desperate, and shocking kiss, but as soon as she was past the shock, she tangled her fingers in his hair. Her lips were soft, and experienced and full of desire, despite his short comings they broke apart breathlessly and she was smiling ecstaticly leaning her forehead against his.

"So then, that a yes?" She asked kissing him gently for another half second, he opened his eyes again, he didn't even know when he'd shut them. She was staring at him half lidded and smiling.

"First time that didn't end with me getting slapped." He admitted to her, she let her head fall onto his shoulder happily, she had never expected that, but she was glad it happened.

"Well, I promise that is one thing I'll never slap you for." She told him, he sighed kissing the side of her neck.

"Now go get some sleep woman, your bad for my health." He told her still favoring his rib a bit, it was mostly just sore now though. She leaned back kissing him again, he thought he was doing pretty well considering his lack of experience.

"Good night Daryl." She told him getting up, the shock of her absence was unpleasant, but he managed to look up with the most genuine smile she'd ever seen on him.

"Night." He said cocking an eyebrow at her suggestively, or that's what he was going for at least as she left practically skipping downstairs to find Lori. Daryl fell back into the bed holding his side and savoring her taste on his lips, peaches, they'd found canned food in the cafeteria apparently.

"What do you look all thrilled about, you're practically glowing, thought that was my job?" Lori said when she saw Carol coming in. Carol smiled whimsically falling back onto Lori's bed with a sigh.

"Daryl kissed me." She blurted out covering her mouth as if it had betrayed her against her will, to thrilled to keep it in.

"Finally, how was it?" Lori asked setting the clothes she'd been holding down and joining Carol on the bed.

"Perfect." She sighed closing her eyes and touching her fingers to her lips gently remembering his taste, his smell, and the way his rough touch felt against her, not callous or demanding, just desperate to please her. He was a little rough around the edges, but she could feel just how hard he was trying to get it right.

"Tell me everything." Lori demanded, so she did, gladly, she needed someone to tell, she was practically jumping for joy, wanting to shout it to the whole cell block. The next morning the men folk headed out to do there sweeps, and Carol went up to see Daryl, but he wasn't there.

Apparently, his ribs had healed enough for Hershel to okay him for the morning sweep, Carol laid down in his bed with a bit of a huff to wait for him to come back.

Daryl was taking up the rear this time since he was hurt still, but he'd been too nervous to stay in the cell block, plus he hated cages. The weight of his cross bow was baring down a little hard this morning, but he was holding up his end. When they split to search a bigger area, Daryl pulled Rick aside.

"Hey, I gotta ask you somethin, later before we head back?" Daryl said looking around at the rest of the group anxiously, Rick nodded.

"This about Carol, cause Lori seems to think you two have a thing now?" Rick asked with his best protective father look, Daryl rolled his eyes, that woman just couldn't keep her mouth shut, but to his own shock, he didn't really mind.

"Don't be a fucking dick, Rick, just hang back with me when we go back and find out." Daryl told him wandering off to search the room. They'd nearly cleared the place at this point, and they'd blocked off the open sections, so Rick hung back with Daryl, he waited for the group to be well out of ear shot before he spoke up.

"I am armed, and I will kick your fucking ass if you laugh at me, you got that?" Daryl started, Rick smirked, but nodded his understanding.

"I wouldn't fucking ask, but I ain't got a lot a options, I ain't never, been with a woman, I mean, and I ain't got a clue what to fucking do, well I know how it fucking works, but, shit, I don't fucking know what I'm asking." Daryl said exasperated, he was beat red and about ready to explode if Rick so much as smiled.

"You asking for sex tips, or dating advice?" Rick asked earnestly enough to keep Daryl from punching him.

"Both, I guess, I don't fucking know." Daryl growled, Rick thought about what to say fro a moment trying to weed the sarcasm out first, no reason to get clocked for this.

"Honestly, no matter how much you know, the woman's right, you ask her what she wants and she'll tell ya, mostly, in bed or life, and remember the little things, like flowers and holding hands and shit, cause nothing is more important to them then that." Rick told him, Daryl logged that for further thought.

"Some fucking advice." Daryl said, in a nicer tone then his words implied, and went back towards the cell block. Carol was asleep in there bed when he got up to the room they'd shared, he smiled pulling the blanket over her. She took a hold of his hand in her sleep, so he sat down on the floor and closed his eyes still holding her hand.

She woke up a few minutes later to see him sleeping on the floor holding her hand in his, she squeezed his hand gently, and he opened his eyes sleepily smiling at her. He was getting down right lazy in here, it was just so nice, and so easy to sleep in the down time.

"How was the sweep?" She asked letting her eyes drift shut again, he smiled stroking her hand absently.

"Won't be long till we cleared this whole place out, some bits are closed off since there are some downed walls, but it's startin to look safe, including the showers finally." He told her she smiled opening her eyes again.

"I could use a shower, I still have soap, and shampoo, from that car, I might actually be able to smell like something other then dead people." She told him, he laughed, God he was stupid happy right now.

"What fun would that be?" He asked, she smacked his chest lightly with her free hand.

"You should try it, you actually smell pretty good when you aren't covered in guts." She told him, that was enough for him to decide he'd take a shower tonight.

"Let's get some food you infuriating woman." He told her, he got to his feet with only minor pain in his chest, and helped her up with the hand he was still holding.

"Wait." She told him when he went to lead her out of the cell by the hand, she pulled him back gently, and kissed his lips, just a peck, but enough to make his heart race. Then she went to lead him out of the cell, he followed though he really wanted to yank her back and take her there, but he decided on the less embarrassing food for now.

He re-situated, his current embarrassment without letting her see, and they went down the stairs to get food. Carol got a can of chicken and one of pineapples, she went to head back to there room, but he stopped her.

"Come on, I wanna show you something." Daryl told her, they'd cleared the roof while he was out of it, but he'd been up there since.

"Where are we going?" She asked, he shook his head leading her through the safe halls to the stair case.

"Ain't gonna be much of a surprise if I tell ya." He told her leading her up the stairs, to her surprise when they reached the roof they found a set of lawn chairs, put there by God knows who, but since the sun was only just now rising, time got a little off inside those stone walls, it had the perfect view of the yard, and the woods beyond, it was beautiful.

"Wow, it's this is beautiful, it actually looks like a home from up here." She whispered, they went over to the lawn chairs and sat down to eat.

"Glad you like it, it was this or the reck room, and well prison art is kinda lacking." He joked, she giggled, an actual giggle, he wasn't sure he'd ever heard her do that before. He stared at her in awe while they ate, she was so strong, she didn't look it, but she found happiness even in all this, and so had he thanks to her.

"Cold?" He asked when he noticed her shivering, she shook her head, but that didn't stop Daryl from pulling his coat off and wrapping it around her shoulders. It was still warm, and it smelled like Daryl as she wrapped it around herself, her small arms weren't quite as long though, so the sleeves hung down, warming her hands.

"Thank you." She told him with her smile, that was only for him, the one he never saw on her when she didn't know he was looking.

"Ain't nothin." He told her picking at his chicken, she got up out of her chair setting the empty can on the roof next to the chair. He set the empty chicken can beside it and followed her to the edge of the roof, she looked down a little unsteady, so he wrapped his arms around her waist.

She leaned back into him content to watch the sunrise in his arms, he kissed her neck, and sent a shiver down her body, he let his head rest there.

"You wanna go back, don't want you freezin out here." He told her, she shook her head almost imperceptibly, covering his bare arms with hers.

"I like it here." She told him, so they just stood there until the sun was well up in the sky, and it wasn't so cold, she turned around in his arms kissing his neck, and then kissing her way to his lips, he loved the way she felt, but he could tell he was a little ridged, he didn't want to take this any further, so he kissed her passionately if not a little clumsily, and then backed away taking her hand.

"We should get back, nobody knows where we are, don't want 'em lookin for us." He told her, she didn't budge though.

"You're doing it again." She whispered staring at there clasped hands, he gave her a look of confusion, but he knew what she meant.

"Doing what?" He asked.

"Pulling away, did I do something wrong? I can fix it, just tell me what I did." she told him, he sighed, he didn't stand a chance against this woman.

"It don't have a damn thing to do with you." He told her, pulling her into his arms, he hated seeing that look on her.

"Then why, I mean I, I know I'm not that attractive, but I promise I can more then make up for it if you let me." She told him, he pulled her away from him so he could look her in the eyes.

"Stop that shit right now, you're beautiful, most fucking sexy woman I ever saw, I just don't wanna screw this up, you're too important." He told her, she was stunned into silence, no one had ever said such sweet things to her. She kissed him, guiding his lips, his touch to best match hers, and he picked up on it right away. He was pretty good at this now, and then it hit her, was he worried he'd embarrass himself.

"Love the way you touch me, never had a kiss that felt so right." She whispered, her words were just the balm he needed to ease his worrying about his experience. He kissed her again, this time with a little more need, more passion, he couldn't get enough of her.


	7. Chapter 7

She parted her lips, flicking her tongue over his top lip invitingly, so he met hers, in a long french kiss, her velvet tongue expertly flicking across his, while he tried to mimic her actions. When they pulled apart for need of breath, she moved down to kiss his neck.

He let her this time breathless from the kiss while she nipped across his jaw, she was driving him wild. He pulled her flush against him, she could feel his massive hard on, as he captured her lips again. With ever touch he took away new skill, he may not have experience, but Carol could tell he was a fast and willing learner.

She slid her hand down his chest while he was distracted by there kiss, and trailed it down into his jeans, wrapping her hand around his cock. He went stiff as a board as her petite skilled hands moved over him, and he lost himself to her.

He pulled himself away with an embarrassed growl, that was exactly what he'd been afraid of, but she came up behind him kissing his neck, undeterred by his frustration.

"What do you want woman, aren't I embarrassed enough?" He asked, in a harsh whisper, she moved around him so he had to look at her.

"You shouldn't be, you make me feel, like no one else ever has, hell you're already twice as good as Ed was in bed, and you haven't even tried for second base." She told him, as comforting as her words were, he was sure being better then Ed only required not hurting her.

"Don't patronize me, I, you deserve to be at least pleased, and I can't even manage to hold it together that long." He told her, red faced and on the verge of tears, which made him want to break his own rib again.

"I don't deserve someone as good as you, please, don't pull away, just kiss me, I need you Daryl Dixon, you're the best thing that's ever happened to me." She told him crying outwardly, he kissed her, as she'd asked. He could taste her tears, they fell into this deep passionate desperate kiss, just holding each other, he was sure he was crying too, but he couldn't care less.

She lead his hand from her cheek down to her breast, he just let his hand rest there for a moment to be sure of what she wanted before he let his hand move. He was unsure of what to do, so he just felt her soft beneath his hand brushing his fingers over every bit, she moaned in pleasure as his thumb found her hard nipple, so he did it again.

Fifteen minutes later, he was hard as a rock again, and he knew exactly where to touch her perky, soft breasts to make her moan. He was feeling pretty confident when she kissed him again leading his arm down to her thighs trailing it back up under her dress.

He breathed out hard closing his eyes, he was afraid he might lose himself again, the way her hands touched him, and her mouth, Christ she was good with that, now he had his hand cupping her soft wet panties.

He was at a loss here though, he had no idea where to start, so he let his hand run over her cotton under garment, even at this she moaned, but not the way she did when he'd touched the right spot on her perfect breasts. He pushed the fabric away sliding his fingers across her hot wet silky folds.

He'd never felt anything like it, and the thought of being inside her had him losing himself again, this time he slid his fingers inside her and let his head fall one her shoulder as he came, she moaned clenching around his fingers.

He composed himself again roaming around her core until he found every spot that seemed to make her quiver. He fell to his knees pulling her gently onto the edge of a lawn chair, he just so wanted to taste her, he didn't know exactly what he'd do, but he wanted it so bad.

He buried his face between her legs and swirled his tongue over the nib that had made her respond the most. He sucked and nipped, and licked her until her fingers were buried in his hair, and she was begging him to stop, in what he hopped was a good way.

"Did, did I hurt you?" He asked genuinely worried he'd done something wrong, she shook her head vigorously.

"No, oh God Daryl, I, I've never, no one has ever done that to me before, I've never, never orgasmed before." She admitted to him, a cocky smile spread across his face, not only had he been doing well, but he was the only one who ever had.

"So, I guess I did pretty well then." He breathed absently, he looked up, it was well past noon, it had taken him a while, but he was definitely learning. He stood up stiffly, his knees hurt from kneeling that whole time, Carol grabbed his belt, he was hard, again.

He'd never known just how hot it was to get her off, he wanted to cover himself up to avoid further embarrassment since he was already wet with his own spendings, but she had other plans, she leaned forward falling out of the chair and onto her knees, undoing his belt, and his zipper.

He was holding it together pretty well considering, but that may have something to do with this being his third hard on of the day, he was pretty sure he was running out of bodily fluids. He threw his head back with a groan when she wrapped her lips around his cock flicking her experienced tongue over the tip.

His knees went weak, and he only kept himself upright by leaning against the door to the stairs, he lasted quite a bit longer this time, not wanting it to end, and not sure he could. When he finally lost himself he had one hand on her head, and one clinging to the door for support.

"Fuck, Carol, ugh." He moaned collapsing in front of her still leaning against the door, she moved to the spot beside him, leaning on his chest. He held her to him breathing hard.

"I'm fucking thirsty, at some point we should go back, I'm sure they're all out searching for us by now, hell it's gonna start getting dark soon." He told her, she looked around and laughed.

"Didn't we come out here to watch the sun rise?" She asked, he laughed too, he never wanted to get up, but he was starting to get cold up here.

"Ya, I think we did." He told her struggling to his feet, he zipped himself back up and held his hand out to help her up. She took it, and they ended up standing, but he had stumbled pinning her to the wall.

He kissed her neck, then pushed himself back up, not sure he could handle starting something else right now, not without food, and something to drink at least. The trip down the stairs was slow and full of missed steps. Daryl did his best to catch her, but they ended up in a heap on the floor more then once, giggling and kissing until they got back up.

They had managed to compose themselves by the time they got back to the cell block, but any idiot with eyes could see what they'd been doing, they smelled of sex, there hair was wild, and there clothes were rumpled, not to mention, Carol was still in his coat.

Carol let go of his hand at the next set of stairs, going up to there room while he grabbed food, and water, no beer until he had at least had a chance to rehydrate. Rick went over to him while the others stared and giggled to themselves, he hadn't even noticed.

"Next time you two wander off for some "alone time" warn someone that you'll be gone all day, it was all I could do to keep them from sending up a search party to interrupt you." Rick told him, Daryl smirked, remembering the day.

"Hadn't meant to be gone so long, the plan was just for breakfast." Daryl told him sauntering off, feeling rather full of himself. Carol was laying in bed already when he got up there, he handed her an open tin of peaches, and a bottle of water.

She sat up eating lazily, while leaning against the wall trying to keep her eyes open, he drank his whole bottle of water, and ate his canned potato's before she'd even gotten half way through hers. She yawned, handing him the water.

"I think you need the rest of this more then me." She told him drinking the juice from her peaches so as to deflect any protest. He took it and drank that too, he was still pretty thirsty. She finished her fruit, and leaned against him only half awake at this point. He laid down pulling her with him onto his chest, and they slept just like that, until a knock at the cell woke Daryl, normally just the approach of foot steps would have roused him, but he'd been exhausted.

"What?" He asked sleepily, he rolled out of bed gently escaping from Carols grasp, she pouted in her sleep, which made him smile.

"Just wanted to know if you were coming on any of the sweeps today, since you seem to be feeling much better now." Rick told him, Daryl laughed, he felt fan-fucking-tastic, she hadn't laughed at him, and more then that he was the best she'd ever had.

"Sure, I'll be down in a bit." He told him, Rick nodded, trying not to laugh at the ridiculous smile plastered on Daryl's face. Rick left, and Daryl went back to the bed kissing Carol sweetly. She stirred just enough to grab his hand, and smile.

"I'll be back in a bit." He whispered, she held his hand tighter.

"Love you, Daryl." She mumbled, he could tell she was still asleep, but the words were clear enough. He grabbed his crossbow and rushed off, not sure what to think of that, did she love him, was it just a misunderstood dream phrase, and more importantly, did he love her?

He took lead the group this time, it was good to get his mind off his own thoughts, he sure as hell liked her, but did he really love her, he had no clue, he'd never been loved, or in love. He did know that he didn't want to lose her. He wanted her, and he didn't like to admit it even to himself, but he needed her, she kept him grounded, gave him a reason to fight even in all this.

He shot a walker through the skull pulling his bolt back out and reloading, he didn't wanna think about it. He just wanted things to be simple, he wanted to, just be, he'd liked how simple things had been when everything first fell.

Kill, survive, scavenge, hunt, live, that was it, now, now they were getting back to the way life had been before, safe, but complicated, and it was that part of life that he'd never known how to live with.

It was horrifying to imagine screwing things up with her, and worse then that some part of him knew he would, but she was worth it. So maybe he did love her, wasn't that what love was anyway caring enough to stick your own neck out for a chance to be with them.

That's what he figured least ways, he wouldn't say anything, but if she asked he wouldn't hesitate to tell her. Rick stopped them looking around.

"I think we've cleared this place out for the most part. I wanna start moving out of that cell block, so the group can get to the showers and things without needing a key, we can go back for our next sweep, and double check every section for openings, then open it up, eventually get out on the grounds start farming, sending out groups to hunt, start living again. Winter will be here soon, we'll need to hunt to keep the group fed." Rick told them, Daryl nodded, that food from the prison would barely last until summer if they couldn't bolster it with something.

"It's a good plan, keep what ain't safe locked off, and open up the rest a few of us could really use a shower." Daryl joked, T-dog was the first to laugh.

"You mean, you and Carol want to get wet and wild." He jibed Daryl smacked him upside the head.

"Shut your mouth, that's a lady you're talking about." He told him, the whole group laughed, they'd never seen this side of him. It was nice to see him happy.

"We should get it started now, no reason to put it off. The women could use good news." Hershel told them, they all agreed on that, so they'd go back eat, and then sweep out the safe areas, and start making this place the home they needed.

Carol was waiting in there room with food, and a beer, he couldn't help but smile when he saw her. She hopped up offering him the meal kissing him swiftly.

"Hi honey, how was the killing?" she asked trying to keep herself from laughing, he could tell she'd just been waiting for the chance to say that all morning. He laughed popping the beer open and taking a long draft.

"Nice, the place is damn near safe, gonna start opening it up after we eat." She finally laughed at her own joke kissing him again this time he pulled her to him with his strong, though full arms. After a long moment they broke apart with matching suggestive smiles.

"Does that mean I can finally take a shower?" She whispered leaning her head against his, he took another draft of beer over her shoulder, then busied himself with kissing her neck.

"Ya, pretty soon, we both can." She caught his tone and bit her lip nervously, she loved him, she could admit that, but she wasn't ready for him to see her naked. She had loved the way he touched her, but her body was riddled with scars, most of them on her torso, Ed had been repulsed by the sight of her shirtless near the end, even though most of it was his doing.

"Might actually get to smell like something living." She joked not letting him see how nervous she was, she knew he'd been nervous about his skill before yesterday, but that was something he could fix, what if he couldn't look at her either, it would break her, and she knew it.

"Ya, the whole cell block will, brave new world." He joked, pulling back to kiss her again, but he caught a glimpse of her worried expression, one he recognized from his own face yesterday morning, he set his meal down and grabbed both her hands in his.

"What is it?" He asked, she looked at her feet, how could he read her like that, everyone treated him like he was an idiot just because he was better at skinning then reading, but he was actually the smartest one in the group.

"I, I just don't like my body, I, Ed couldn't even look at me." She told him, he took her face in his hands making her look back up at him.

"Hey, he was a fucking dick, you're beautiful, and don't let anything that dead bastard told you hurt you anymore." He told her holding her gaze, she blinked back tears, the look of love and admiration in his eyes made her want to believe him, but it still made her nervous.

"You should eat." She told him, he ignored her kissing her passionately, he didn't know how else to convince her, she was beautiful, and he hated that she didn't know it. She clung to him desperately, he held her close kissing her breathless, he wasn't half bad at this now.

"I, I love you." He whispered against her lip, she was stunned for a moment totally silent, and he was kicking his own ass inwardly the whole time.

"I, really, oh God Daryl, I love you too, I really?" She asked in total disbelief, he kissed her again.

"I wouldn't have said it if it weren't true." He told her, her restrained tears were spilling over, but out of joy now, even when she was married no man had ever said he loved her and meant it, and it was unbelievably good to hear. Maybe, just maybe they would be okay.

"We should eat though, you still have to go on another sweep yet, I, I don't want you to get hurt." She told him kissing him again, she just couldn't stop smiling while they went back and sat on the bed to eat. She leaned on his shoulder just resting there comfortably, completely content.

"You really love me?" She mumbled running her hand up and down his leg absently while he ate.

"Yes, Carol Peletier, I'm in love with you, before I met you I didn't even know anything was missing, your the reason I fight." He told her, he felt like a fucking pussy saying it, but the look on her face made up for it completely. He'd never seen her look so content, she snuggled up next to him, just clinging to him happily.

"I love you so much." She said kissing his neck, running her hands over his chest, his arm snaked around her shoulder. He closed his eyes just basking in the moment, she loved him, and he had her here in his arms.

"I gotta go, when I get back we'll finally be able to shower." He told her kissing her sweetly slipping out of the bed. She held his arm pulling him down into a much longer open mouthed kiss, he pulled away breathlessly.

"Be safe, I love you." She told him, he opened his eyes again taking a deep breath, trying not to get distracted by her quite yet.

"Promise, love you." He told her prying himself away from her and going to meet up with Rick and the group. Rick gave him a nod, Daryl and Rick went through halls and rooms together while Glen, Hershel, and T-dog went the other way, Daryl and Rick were quiet for a long while.

"You two seem pretty serious now, just don't hurt her, she's been through enough." Rick said finally, Daryl looked up at him for his almost laughable words.

"I ain't ever hurt her, and I ain't ever gonna, you just mind yours, and keep your nose out a my damn business." Daryl told him, he nodded taking him at his word, he knew Daryl was a good man, if anyone deserved to be happy it was those two.

They made there way through the showers, and they both stopped long enough to wash off there faces, the water was clean, and even still heated up. Hell Daryl almost felt clean when they made it back to the cell block.

"Hey, Rick, let me open up the showers, could use a moment." He told him, Rick laughed, he knew exactly what he was asking, and he deserved his moment, so Rick nodded.

"Just have it opened up tomorrow, I need a shower bad." Rick told him, Daryl nodded heading up the stairs two at a time. Carol had a bag packed full of God knows what when he got there. She looked up at him with a nervous smile.

"Ready for a shower?" He asked, she picked up the bag holding it out to him proudly.

"I pack us a pick-nick." She told him, he laughed holding his free hand out to her, she took it gladly. He lead her through the halls to the shower, his crossbow still over his shoulder, just to be safe.

She started pulling out bowls and then a big red blanket, that no one was using, a white towel, since it was there only one, and she set it all up draped on a bench and down onto the floor, so they could sit together and eat.

"What do we got to eat?" He asked pulling his boots off so he wouldn't mess up the pick-nick, she pulled out two freshly baked rolls and a can of chicken, he eyed the bread more then a little shocked.

"We found some of the ingredients in the kitchen, I don't know how good they'll be, but we made them this morning, I thought they might be a good treat." She told him putting them in the bowl, she set the chicken down, leaning over on her knees kissing him. Ignoring the food completely in favor of something far more appealing.

He pulled her into his lap kissing her, she slid her hands under his shirt, feeling his warm skin against her small hands. He let go of her yanking his shirt over his head tossing it away and moving his hands back to her body. She pulled away to get a better look at him.

He leaned back looking at her a little concerned, not sure if she was appreciating the way he looked or trying not to laugh.

"What?" He asked reaching out to her, she took his hand with one of hers, and ran her other hand over his chest tracing over the numerous scars that covered his pale skin.

"You're perfect." She whispered leaning over and kissing the scar over his left collar bone, and trailing down his chest stopping over every scar she felt, he closed his eyes and enjoyed the way her lips felt against his bare chest.

He stopped her pulling her up so he could kiss her again, he loved the way she tasted, and the way her lips felt on his body made him need her even more. He let his hands slip under her shirt as he kissed her neck.

She pulled away grabbing the bread from the bowl and tearing a piece off of the the bun and holding it out to him. He took the piece of bread from her running his tongue over her fingers longingly. The bread was still warm and moist, it was delicious, but he was driven to distraction by the thought of her.

"How is it?" She asked taking a bite of her own, he kissed her neck trying to focus on her question.

"Delicious, but not really what I want right now babe." He breathed his hot breath sending a shiver down her skin, she set the the bread down trying not to look at him.

"I know, me either, just, just don't..." She started, he stopped her, capturing her lips with his, sliding his hands back up her shirt, pleading to touch her. She kissed him slowly letting him pull her shirt gently over her head dropping it on the floor.

He stopped to stare like she had, she was beautiful, her smooth pale skin was marred with thin white scars, he traced his rough hands over her soft skin. She couldn't bring herself to look up at him in case she saw disgust.

He ran his hand up her shoulder and gently brought her chin up so she had to meet his eyes, and what she saw there was so far from what she had expected. He was in awe of her, he kissed her sweetly.

"You are so beautiful." He whispered running his hands over her body, she was blinking back tears of joy, the look in his eyes made her feel more beautiful then she ever had before. He pulled her onto his lap so her legs were wrapped around his waist so he could kiss his way from her ear to her breasts.

He clumsily unclasped her bra, nearly ripping it off in frustration, but he didn't know if she had another one, so he restrained himself. He was painfully hard, his hands groping over her smooth perky breasts. She was so sexy, and her skilled hands had him breathless against her, he had to stop, breaking apart long enough to compose himself, but she kissed her way down his chest pulling his jeans down, taking his boxers with them.

He yanked her jeans down tossed them across the room and pulled her back to her spot on his lap. She pushed him back sliding him inside her, she let her head fall back moaning at the feeling of his massive cock, he was so much bigger then she'd ever felt before. He didn't know exactly what he was supposed to do, but the feeling of her around him left him struggling not to lose himself to her.

She took his left hand leading him to rub against her clit, while she writhed on top of him driving him wild. She threw her head back moaning his name as she finished, tight around him, he couldn't hold himself together for another second. He lost himself to her holding her close kissing her desperately, they clung to each other breathlessly.

"Love you so much." He whispered against her hot skin, she smiled into his neck beyond happy, and completely content.

"Love you." She mumbled, he smiled pleased that he'd lasted long enough for her to finish, he unclenched his right hand, he could feel blood welling from the crescent shaped cuts on his palm, in an effort to keep himself together he'd actually drawn blood.

She rolled off him with a sigh, her absence leaving him cold, and laid down snuggling on his chest, he wrapped his arm around her, he reached over grabbing the already started bun. He took a large satisfying bite, and held it out for Carol.

They ate just like that, it was slow and languid but the food was good, and by the time they were done Daryl was thinking about getting up to shower. He looked over at Carol, who was closing eyes obviously thinking about sleep.

"We should shower, that's the reason we came here ain't it?" he told her, she yawned opening her eyes lazily.

"I even brought the shampoo." She told him smiling sleepily, he sat up taking her with him, she curled up closer to his chest reluctant to get up, so he scooped her up into his lap and with a little difficulty managed to stand up. She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned her head into his chest.

He went over to the shower and turned the hot water on letting it hit him in that first blast of freezing cold water. Carol yelped jumping down from his arms and slapping him in the shoulder, he laughed.

"You dick, you could a just asked me to get up." She told him, he was doubled over laughing at the look on her face.

"Wouldn't a been near as much fun, come here woman, I'll warm ya up." He told her, she stuck her tongue out at him and ran over to grab the shampoo and the soap. He watched her go mesmerized by her wet naked body.

"Here, you big bully, clean your self off." She told him holding the now unwrapped soap out, he took it grabbing her arm with it, he pulled her back under what was now steamy hot water. She yelped, but the relaxed back into him.

"Oh, God this feels so good." Carol told him, he smiled taking the soap and running it slowly down her body. He washed of every inch of grime all the way down to her feet, and back up to her cheeks, he was loving feeling her up in the name of cleanliness and she loved being pampered like this, being admired, and loved.

When he was done he reluctantly handed her the soap, not wanting to stop touching her, she started up at his shoulders slowly working her way down, she soaped up his cock with long slow strokes, that had him hard again almost instantly.

"Do you never tire?" She asked stroking his slick wet hard on, he managed to pry his eyes open in an attempt to answer.

"You're just so fucking hot." He moaned, she smiled wickedly using all her best tricks, he lost himself to her yet again clutching her to him in an attempt not to fall to the floor. She moved down to clean the rest of him.

"Guess that means you're clean now." She giggled, he smiled his eyes still closed, and his hands on her shoulder to stay on his feet. They stayed under the water until it turned cold, then toweled off as best they could and put on the clean clothes Carol had brought with.

"You look down right respectable now." She told him he looked over at him still holding his over shirt, and he loved the look she had for him. She was basicly leering at him in the stupid black tank that she'd brought him.

He reached out pulling her into him kissing her, in that moment he knew they'd be okay. Eventually they went back to the Cell block, Daryl told people it was open now, and they went to sleep.

The next few weeks were perfect, they opened up most of the prison, including the yard, they were planting fields, they had some trouble with some Governor guy, but that was handled with minimal violence.


	8. Chapter 8

Daryl went out hunting once every couple of days, visited Merle and brought back game, but this time when he went to check his traps it wasn't game he found.

There was a big blond guy hanging from the tree cursing at it Daryl laughed at his feeble attempts to dislodge himself from the wire snare.

"Who the fuck are you?" The guy growled when Daryl came out of the woods laughing and pointing his crossbow at him.

"The guy who was trying to catch fucking food in that ya dip shit." Daryl told him, he pulled the old radio off his belt.

"Rick, I got a survivor hangen from my snare, what do you want me to do with him?" Daryl asked, not caring either way.

"He alone, or injured?" Rick asked, Daryl checked him over for injuries and didn't see any.

"You got a group?" He asked, the guy shook his head sending him spinning around, Daryl had to stop himself from laughing.

"No, we got over run, I think I was the only one who made it, I can shoot, I can help you guys." He told Daryl, Daryl shrugged.

"Says they got over run, says he can help if we let him, what do you think, could send him to the Governor but I don't like the idea of making him stronger." Daryl said, there was a long silence before Rick answered, consulting the others no doubt.

"Bring him in, but keep him in the dark, no need to take unnecessary risks." Rick told him, Daryl clipped the radio back to his belt.

"Your lucky boy, stay still." Daryl said undoing the snare from the ground, he fell into the dirt pulling the wire from his now bleeding leg.

"Thanks." He said, Daryl reset the snare with ease never taking his eye off the man.

"What's your name boy?" He asked, he stood up easily half a foot taller then Daryl stretching.

"Chad." He told Daryl, Daryl remembered Carol telling him her brother's name was Chad, probably not him though.

"Well Chad, I'm gonna have to blind hold ya, don't want you knowing where we're going, you don't like it, ya leave now, just watch your step Merle ain't half as nice as me." Daryl told him, Chad nodded pulling a bandana out of his pocket, Daryl took it blindfolding him tightly and lead him back to the prison.

"Is this, are we in a prison?" Chad asked when he heard the sound of the doors opening, Daryl laughed of coarse he knew what prison doors sounded like. Daryl lead him to an empty cell block and put him in one of the cells.

"Yes it is, you can take that off now." Daryl told him as Rick came in, Rick gave the guy a once over then looked to Daryl.

"Who is he?" Rick asked, Daryl shrugged.

"Name's Chad, ex military from the look, army probably nothin fancy, wager he deserted when this all went down if he wasn't out already, somethin else too, but I can't put my finger on it." Daryl told him, Rick nodded, he agreed with the assessment.

"We right?" Rick asked, the guy looked a little dumbstruck by Daryl's accurate words.

"Ya, I was recon platoon, I deserted two weeks after first assault, half the fucking platoon did." Chad told them, Rick nodded.

"Probably turn tail at the first sign of real danger, but he seems harmless, can always kill him later if he doesn't follow the rules." Daryl told him, Rick looked to Chad.

"Well Chad, if the group agrees you could stay here, but you have to know, this is our prison, we spilled blood for this ground and we won't hesitate to do it again if you step out of line, my prison my rules, got that?" Rick asked Chad nodded.

"Ya, no problem, I just wanna be safe, I'm sick a running for my life." Chad told them, the door cracked open so Carol could see in.

"Dinner's done if you... Chad?" Carol's voice went to a low tone of horror, Daryl went to her without hesitation.

"This, this is the guy you found?" Carol whispered, Daryl nodded putting his hands on her shoulders.

"You alright?" Daryl asked, Carol took a deep breath shaking her head.

"Little sister?" Chad asked trying to see around the door, Daryl moved into his line of sight without thinking. He gave her a questioning look, she nodded knowing exactly what he was asking, he moved closer kissing the top of her head, then gesturing for her to leave. He closed the door behind her and turned to Rick giving him a worried look.

"You heard her, foods done, lets go eat." Daryl said, Rick left with him then stopped out of earshot from Chad.

"What was that?" Rick asked, Daryl re-situated the string of game over his shoulder not sure how much to say.

"That Chad, is apparently Carol's older meaner brother, they didn't get on too well." Daryl explained, Rick sighed, and they went to talk to the group, Daryl went straight to Carol.

"Before we start talking to the group, I need to know what you want, you want us to kick his ass out, cause we can do that right now, just say the word." Daryl told her she smiled leaning into him for comfort.

"No, he's a dick, but he won't cause problems, he's too much of a coward to try anything with you around, just don't leave him alone with any of the women." She told him, he nodded looking to Rick to start his discussion with the group.

"Y'all probably heard by now we got a fella in the holding cell right now, he doesn't know anything about us, but he lost his group, and he's asking to stay here, he doesn't seem like he'll be a problem, but Carol knows him says he's not the best guy in the world, and he would be another mouth to feed, so I wanna know what y'all think we should do." Rick told them, they all thought for a moment.

"We're planting now, and the extra help would be nice." Hershel put in, the group nodded.

"And sending him back out there alone would be a death sentence." Maggie added, Glen nodded.

"We could keep him here on a probationary period, keep him with a guard until we think he can be trusted." Lori offered, Carl perked up.

"I could guard him." He offered, Rick shook his head.

"We could take shifts, lock him up at night, but the longer he stays the harder it's gonna be to get rid of him, so give it some thought." Rick told them, the discussion went on for a little over a half an hour while they ate, Carol stayed quiet the whole time, just holding Daryl's hand.

"I, I need to tell you something before we make a decision, I don't think it will effect your vote, I just, I really wanted to tell you, and I don't think it should wait." Carol whispered, nodding towards there room, he nodded getting up.

"Be right back." Daryl told them, and he and Carol went up the there room, Carol shut the door she was smiling now, but she still looked a little frazzled.

"What is it babe?" He asked pulling her into his lap when he sat down on the bed.

"I, I just found out for sure today, I was gonna tell you when you got back, but then all this, and well, I got distracted, but Daryl, I'm pregnant." She told him, all he could do was blink, like he couldn't process her words.

"You, you're pregnant, I'm, I'm a dad!?" He asked wide eyed and smiling, she giggled and he kissed her repeatedly.

"You're a dad, and you're gonna be amazing at it." She told him, he picked her up swinging her around, then set her down quickly like he'd just thought how it might effect her. He just couldn't stop kissing her.

"I love you, oh I love you so much, I'm gonna be a dad, and we already have a fully stocked hospital room for Lori, so, I'm gonna be a dad." Daryl kissed her again then ran out of the cell leaning over the rail towards the group.

"I'm gonna be a dad!" He yelled turning back and kissing Carol, he'd never imagined he could ever have this beautiful life with her, much less a kid. Everyone's mood downstairs shifted to happy, they all clapped, and Rick got up and went to him holding his hand out.

"Congratulations man, I'm sure he'll be a hell of a kid." Rick told him, Daryl shook his hand proudly, God, he had to tell Merle. Everyone took turns hugging them or shaking his hand.

"Right we still have to vote on that guy, so lets get it done, I wanna go tell Merle." Daryl told them, still never letting go of Carol. Eventually they voted to let the guy stay, so Rick went and explained the rules.

Daryl and Carol went out to find Merle, Daryl knew she wasn't very comfortable around him, but Merle was a good guy when he wasn't all riled up, and with the woods mostly safe, he just didn't want to leave her side. He knew it was stupid, a risk, but he wanted her there when he told Merle.

"Merle!" Daryl called out as loudly as he dared, not too much louder then his normal voice, Merle stumbled out of his tent zipping up his pants with no prosthetic on.

"For fuck sake baby brother, I thought you said you could handle shit on your own today." Merle hollered back at them, then he saw Daryl grinning with his arm around Carol. Merle looked at the ground scratching his head not wanting to look at Carol, he knew he'd fucked up with her.

"Got some news ya shit head, thought you should know, you're gonna be an uncle." Daryl told him, it took a minute for the news to sink in. Merle just stared between the two of them for a long moment then slugged his brother in the arm in what passed for comradery between the two of them.

"Well shit, didn't know you had it in you, guess I'll have to clean up my fucking act." Merle laughed he turned to congratulate Carol, but thought better of it.

"Fucking better, ain't gonna have my kid growing up to be as much of an ass hole as you." He joked, Merle smiled still looking at Carol.

"Look I didn't mean to hurt ya, I was high, and pissed, I ain't used since and I, I guess I'm, I'm sorry bout my shit, won't happen again, ya ain't gonna keep me from meeting my nephew are ya?" Merle asked, Daryl looked between them he hadn't even thought of that.

"Don't worry about it Merle, I know you're sorry, I've had worse, just make sure it's the last time you do anything like that." She told him the gentle strength in her voice surprised Merle, he could see why his brother cared about her.

"Won't, promise, damn brother, better be a better pops then ours, or I'll have to kick your ass again." Merle said firmly, Daryl laughed wrapping his arm around Carol's waist.

"Won't take much, hey we got a new guy, Chad, Carol's brother, he ain't exactly trust worthy, think ya can keep an eye out, just to be safe, ain't got enough men watchin the walls." Daryl asked, Merle laughed.

"Hell, might as well be part a your group at this rate, I'll keep an eye out though, for the kid, what ya gonna name it?" Merle asked, Daryl looked to Carol since he had no idea, she smiled back at him.

"Maybe Victoria, if it's a girl." She said, both the men looked at her, Daryl was touched that she'd thought to name the girl after his Mamma.

"Got a good woman there." Merle said with a nod, Daryl kissed the top of her head sweetly, hell ya he had a good woman, better then he ever expected.

"Ya, better get ya back, it's still a bit chilly out here, ain't want ya chatchin a cold or nothin." He said taking his jacket off and wrapping it around her now that he'd thought of it, she laughed, she could already tell he was going to be over protective.

"I guess I could use something to eat." She told him, she didn't really want to stay out here with Merle any longer then she had to, she was willing to overlook his past indiscretions for Daryl, but she didn't trust him.

The walk back was slow with Daryl fussing, he wasn't handling this very well, he'd never been a dad before and every little thing scared him, not that he'd ever admit that to anyone. Carol did her best to reassure him, but part of her loved it and didn't want him to stop, she'd never had someone fuss over her, and it felt nice. When they finally got back Chad was out of his cell meeting the group, Daryl stopped before they were in view.

"You ain't gotta see him if you don't wanna. Can stay somewhere else till he's back in his cell." Daryl told her, she smiled up at him lovingly.

"No, I'll have to face him sometime, I'd rather do it on my terms, with you at my side." She told him, he nodded wrapping his arm around her kissing her sweetly.

"I'll be right here babe." he told her, she nodded steeling herself before she went into the room, Chad was at the center of the group meeting everyone.

"Carol, knew it was you I saw, where's Ed and your little girl?" He asked, tears welled up in her eyes, Daryl pulled her closer glaring at Chad.

"They didn't make it." Daryl told him in her stead, she looked over at him gratefully, the words stung for both of them.

"Oops, so you her new thing then, she's a bitch at being alone." Chad asked looking him over, Daryl all but growled at him, this guy had some nerve poking fun at the guy who had his life in his hands a few hours ago.

"Ain't a thing, she's my wife you fuck." Daryl snarled, everyone looked at him a little shocked, it wasn't like they'd had a wedding.

"What'd you do have the old guy marry you, cause I don't see a preacher?" Chad asked the question that they were all a little curious to have answered.

"No, but she's carryin my kid, and that's good enough for me." Daryl told him proudly, he couldn't help it even when talking to this dick the thought of having a id with her made him smile.

"Damn, little sis didn't know you had it in ya, hope you don't miscarry again, that'd be a bitch, so hey, you guys got any food?" Chad turned away from them to look at the rest of the group, but Carol looked like she'd been punched in the gut.

"You never said." Daryl whispered, she was chewing on her lip unable to meet his eyes, just barely holding back tears, God she was so sick of crying.

"I should have told you, I, before Sophia, I was pregnant three other times, but they weren't natural miscarriages, it was Ed, something about seeing me that way made him hit harder, I just, I try not to think about it, it hurt so much, it all seems like someone else's life, I, I don't think they'll be any problems this time." She told him with her face buried in his chest, he soothed her growing hair down, once it had started getting longer he'd noticed that a lot of her gray hair was actually white blond, like the kind you get from experiencing a traumatic event, he'd never asked, but looking at her brother, she couldn't be more then forty, not that he cared.

"I ain't gonna let anything happen to you, or that kid, I love you, we're gonna have a hell of a little ass kicker soon, remember, ain't nothin kills a Dixon but a Dixon, that includes the both a you now, Ms. Dixon." He told her, she smiled despite herself taking his hand.

"Let's go up to our room Mr. Dixon, I believe we're entitled to a honeymoon." She said suggestively, bringing a smirk to his skilled lips, she wanted to get away from her brother, and spend time with her husband.

"Yes mam." He leered letting her pull him up the stairs, weeks went by, Chad chaffed on people a bit, but he seemed to be okay, no worse then Merle, who's camp had moved closer by the day until he ended up in a watch tower just inside the fence, where he now stayed. Daryl and Merle were out hunting, while Maggie, and Glenn were on a run, Rick and Carl were re securing the back fence which had gotten a little loose over the spring, and Hershel and Beth were working the farm land, leaving Carol and Lori inside so it was a bit uneasy when Chad came in to get a drink, since he'd been out helping Hershel.

"Don't worry ladies, just getting a drink, water ran dry half way through weeding that damn garden, don't get me wrong, I like fresh food, but it's fucking too hot out to be baking in that shitty little garden." He said picking out one of there few remaining beers to drink.

"Chad, I don't think you need, a beer, I know how you get when you drink." Carol told him, he glared definitely cracking it open and drinking half of it down in one long swig, Carol sighed, it was about eight or nine weeks into her pregnancy now, so she was starting to show, and Lori, had been showing for much longer, she was about to pop really, so Carol didn't want to start anything.

"You not our Mamma, I can have a drink if I want, I work hard while you two sit on your asses all day." Chad snarled, Carol looked down at the baby clothes her and Lori had been fixing, then at the machete on her belt, she wouldn't be bullied anymore, this baby wouldn't have to watch her mamma cower.

"No I'm not, but you are part of this group, and no one is going to tolerate the way you act when you drink, me least of all, remember that." Carol snarled back, Lori was watching the two of them wearily not sure if she should butt in.

"Oh what, you gonna sick your inbred hick dog on me, him and his gimp brother couldn't touch me, I'm a formally trained recon soldier." Chad laughed, the idea of him fighting Daryl made her want to grin, but he wasn't around, and she wouldn't be treated like this.

"Now come on you two, there's no need to fight, I'm sure we're all just exhausted from the work we've been doing." Lori tried, Chad smirked at her.

"Right, better settle down Sheriff's wife's in a tizzy, tell me, what'd you ever contribute to this group except whining and eating the food, hell at least my whore of a sister can shoot now, you just sit around folding clothes?" Chad asked, despite his valid point Carol stood up stepping around the table furious and hormonal.

"Don't you fucking talk to her like that, you try growing a kid, you jack ass!" She yelled her hand gripping the hilt of her machete so tightly her knuckles were turning white, Lori was too stunned to react.

"Shut your mouth bitch, I'm the man here, you don't even fucking matter, I'm sick of dealing with you fucking worthless bitches, even that little blond bitch has been tryin to order me around all day, if it weren't for your men hangin around all the damn time, I'd have you all in your places, then shit'd get done in this hell whole!" Chad yelled, Carol punched him right in the face and just kept hitting him with all the repressed rage she had for every man that had ever talked to her like that.

But he was twice her size, and her punches bounced off with little effect, chad pushed her back slamming her head into the wall and then started punching her over and over in the stomach, Lori screamed, and Merle and Daryl came running in game strung over there shoulders, Merle Pulled him off throwing him to the ground and Daryl leaped on top of him beating him until he was unrecognizable and unconscious, then Merle pulled him of tilting his head to Carol, who was on the floor with Lori worrying over her.

"Get Hershel, I'll take her to the infirmary." Daryl told Merle getting to his feet to go check on Carol, she wasn't bleeding, or anything but she was clutching her stomach crying, Lori was soothing her hair back, telling her it would be okay. Daryl pushed past her scooping Carol into his arms to carry her to the infirmary.

"Daryl, oh God Daryl, what if he killed the baby?" She sobbed clinging to his chest, Daryl held her close.

"Then I'll kill him, Hershel's gonna come in and have a look to be sure, but I'm sure it's okay, it's a Dixon remember." He whispered walking quickly through the halls. She just sobbed quietly into him as he hurried.

"I knew Daryl, I knew he'd get angry, I knew he'd hit me, but I didn't want to be weak any more, so I hit him, I hit him to defend my pride and now..." She cut off sobbing uncontrollably, he didn't know what to say, he wasn't good at this, but he wanted to comfort her, needed to so she could comfort him, he was just as scared as she was.

"I'm here babe." Was all he could come up with, he kissed her head setting her on the metal table of the prisons infirmary. Hershel came running in after Merle ready to save someone's life, he was sure Merle's description was a bit lacking.

"Need you to check on the kid Doc." Daryl explained, Hershel nodded grabbing a stethoscope off the table to listen for a heart beat.

"Merle, I need you to get rid of that trash in the cell block, don't kill him yet, just take all his shit and throw him outside the gate." Daryl ordered, Merle nodded turning to go find Chad, it wasn't a group decision, but he didn't think anyone would mind.

"The kid okay doc?" Daryl asked Hershel looked over at Daryl with a frown, which had Daryl scared for the worst.

"I don't know, she's hardly nine weeks in, I can't here a heart beat with this, but it may simply be because of the method, I need a sonogram machine, and since this was a male prison, we don't have one, I can't tell you anything conclusively." Hershel explained, Daryl frowned, at least it was a chance though.

"I need to know." Carol pleaded, Hershel frowned deep in thought for a long moment before he turned back to Daryl.

"There's a hospital a few hours north of here, it's bound to have one, we've got the generators running, we could do it." Hershel said softly not keen on finding out, he didn't want to be the bearer of bad news.

"Ya hear that, I'll go get the damn thing, and we'll figure this out." Daryl whispered soothing Carol's hair back gently kissing her sweetly.

"Please Daryl, I have to know, I'm so sorry." Carol sniffled, he did his best to smile, kissing her again for lack of words.

"Nothin to be sorry about, we'll get through this, I'll leave with Merle soon as he gets back, I love you and that kid, ain't nothin gonna hurt you ever again." He promised, she gave him a bitter sweet little half smile.

"Please be careful, I love you, can't lose you." She told him, he kissed her desperately, letting himself get lost in her for a moment, relieving there stress for a few seconds.

"Nothin kills a Dixon. I'll be back soon." He whispered turning to go find Merle who was on his way back from the fence.


	9. Chapter 9

"Hey Merle, get your truck, we're goin on a run!" Daryl yelled out to him, there were more then a few walkers spread out around the fence, but the weren't much of a herd, it wouldn't stand in there way. Nothing on earth and the armies of hell besides could stop him right now, he loaded up his crossbow hopping into Merle's truck, it took almost no time to get on the road.

"Mind tellin me where we're headed baby brother." Merle asked once he'd gotten on the road, going the direction Daryl had pointed.

"Hospital, Hershel says he can't tell if the baby's okay without a sonogram machine." He told him, Merle nodded, they drove silently for a few minutes.

"You know what a sonogram machine looks like?" Merle asked, Daryl shot him a look, but in all honesty he'd never seen one up close.

"I got the just, it'll have to do." Daryl told him, they fell into silence again, Merle was keeping his usual comments to himself out of respect for the situation, but as the silence dragged on he turned towards him.

"Sorry brother, I know how excited you are about that kid, I really hope nothin happens to it." Merle said quietly, Daryl nodded still staring out the window at the few straggling walker roaming around.

"Ya, I know, if that son of a bitch killed my kid, I'm gonna hunt him down and skin him alive." Daryl said calmly, had it been anyone but Merle they might have thought he was exaggerating, but Merle had seen him mad, he started out all bark and bite, but when he got truly pissed he went right past that to this scary calm he called it zen, then he just got even.

"We should go the rest a the way on foot, clear it out then bring your noisy ass truck in only if the damn things too big to carry." Daryl told Merle, he nodded pulling over and turning his truck off, Daryl shouldered a large duffel and, they went towards the hospital completely silent, you wouldn't guess it from looking at the pair, but after what they'd gone through in Atlanta, they had perfected getting in and out undetected.

The hospital wasn't over run, but it had it's share of walkers shambling around, Daryl and Merle shared gestures that would have meant nothing to anyone else, but to them it was clear as day. Daryl went first firing a bolt into the closest one, then fell back reloading while Merle stepped up knifing the next one and retrieving Daryl's arrow, he tossed it back, Daryl Fired his next one and caught the bolt putting it back in his bow.

They kept this up all the way into the hospital, Merle went to the desk checking where the maternity ward was, Daryl kept an eye out, Merle nodded to a direction and the game started again, Merle was damn good with his new hand.

They made there way up to the maternity ward, Merle gestured to a locked metal door that said storage on it, Daryl tried the handle to illustrate his point, Merle rolled his eyes crouching in front of it and pulling out a thick piece of wire. Daryl sighed, he should never have doubted that Merle would be prepared for this, Merle always had been fond of breaking and entering.

He heard the door click open just as he was pulling a bolt out of a walkers head, they went in the poorly illuminated room, this time Merle watched, while Daryl worked, he pulled a flashlight out of his pocket clicking it on and looking around, he spotted what he was pretty sure was a portable sonogram machine, he stuffed it into the bag, then he started sweeping other shit into the duffel, no reason to waste an opportunity just because he didn't know what all the shit was.

He was sure to get high end pain killers, antibiotics, and adrenaline, plus whatever else would fit, then he slid it back over his shoulder, and that was that, they got out smooth, he and Merle were a well oiled team, no surprises as long as Merle stayed clear of the drugs.

Carol was pacing nervously in the yard, it was starting to get dark and they still weren't back, not to mention the pain in her abdomen was still throbbing, making her panic a little extra. T-dog put his hand on her shoulder stopping her.

"Gonna wear a hole in the dirt if ya don't stop pacing around, it's only been three hours, even if everything went perfect they won't be back for an hour and a half." he told her, she nodded trying to calm down Beth and the group minus Hershel and Lori were working on the field, but before she could even imagine relaxing a loud horrible siren came on.

They all looked around in horror, what had made that noise start now, they needed to take care of it right away, it would draw in every walker from here to Florida. Rick went running into the building with Carl obviously to shut off the alarm.

"Come on, we need to check the perimeter!" T-dog told her running towards the gates, they checked the first one, and ran by it still closed, but they ran into walkers on there way to the next, which could only mean one thing, the gate was open.

They ran towards it taking out the walkers they passed, and they were right, the gate had been opened, it had to have been Chad. Carol watched in horror as T-dog closed the gate and one of the geeks took a bite out of his shoulder just as she buried her machete in it's skull.

"T-dog!" Carol gasped in horror, he looked around at the walkers running around them, he grabbed her arm and pulled her into the building. She pulled her scarf off wrapping it around his shoulder.

"Gotta get you back to the cell block!" He told her, determined that he would at least make it count. Carol felt tears stinging at her eyes, tears she had no time for so she pushed them back, she knew they would return with a vengeance later, but for now she had a baby to protect.

They rushed for the cell block, but they were a long ways off and with the fading light an the panic, she was pretty sure they were lost. They were in such a blind rush that they ended up trapped in a hall with groups of walkers on both ends, they were packed in too tight, they could never pick them off like that.

"Run!" T-dog yelled at her rushing at the group of walkers, but Carol was paralyzed by what she saw, he just ran at them letting them eat him.

"Run!" He yelled again this time his voice was filled with agony, and it shocked her out of her head, so she ran, and ran, and ran. She knew she wasn't too far from the cell block, but she was beyond exhausted and the walkers just kept coming. She saw a janitorial closet, and ran to it, she needed a minute to rest or she was going to get killed.

As she was pulling the door shut a walker grabbed at her, she swung her machete into it's head, but she didn't have the strength to pull it back out, and as the huge walker started falling he was pushing the door closed at her, she pulled her arm back hurriedly as the heavy metal door snapped shut, stumbling back. Her feet slipped on a slick spot on the floor and she tumbled back thwacking her head against the mop sink.

It left her dizzy and woozy, when she sat up her whole world tilted off kilter, and she turned vomiting in the sink. She fell back against the wall, she'd never felt so drained in her life she closed her eyes, she knew she shouldn't, but she couldn't stop.

Daryl and Merle were horrified by what they saw when they got back, the yard was scattered with walkers, and there was no one to be seen. Daryl got out opening, and closing the gate so Merle could get his truck in, and then they started picking off the walkers in the same slow crawl they'd used at the hospital.

They'd picked off a good number of them by the time they made it into the prison, it wasn't until he saw his first walker inside the walls that he started to panic. When they got back to the cell block though the group seemed to be safe, Lori was holding a tiny baby in her bunk, everyone was with her, everyone except T-dog, and Carol.

The group didn't look the way it should when surrounding a new mother and her child, they were solemn, Lori was sobbing deeply.

"Where's Carol?" Were the first words past his lips, the whole group looked up at him, even rick looked on the verge of tears.

"We can't find her, she was with T-dog when Chad opened the gates and set off the alarm, I went to shut the alarm off with Carl, and she went with T-dog to close the gates." Rick told him, Daryl stumbled back like Rick had punched him in the gut.

"Then we gotta go find her, what the hell's everyone doin standin around flappin your jaws, Merle." Daryl turned to his brother, he nodded and they turned rushing towards the exit, Rick and Glenn fell in behind them. It didn't take long to clear the yard of the remaining walkers and get to the gate, Daryl picked up the trail.

They followed it into the prison the same way they'd come in when they'd first taken the prison, the followed the trail of dead walkers to a huge blood stained smear on the floor with Carol's scarf soaked in the blood. Daryl picked it up gingerly looking at it for a long moment, then a growl welled up in his throat morphing into a scream that if heard from afar you would never think was human.

"Daryl!" Merle yelled putting his hand on his shoulder, Daryl rounded punching Merle right in the face, he pulled out his buck knife and ran off down the hall destroying any walkers he saw. Merle stopped Rick and Glen from rushing after him.

"Leave him be, I got this." Merle told them, they nodded turning to head back while Merle followed his brothers path of carnage. Daryl stopped when he came to a walker with Carol's machete stuck in it's head. He had a moment of hope, but then realized Carol had no other weapons or she would have used them by now, which made the prospect of finding her just as grim as the scarf.

He yanked the machete out of the things head and started slashing at the other walker shambling towards him, then he rounded on the things body hacking at it over and over until he fell to the ground in tears.

The door behind the walker thudded against it's heavy body weakly, and it kept doing it, he growled up at it, it had to be a walker. Then it struck him, what if it was Carol, what if she was the walker banging weakly on that door, the thought brought bile to his throat.

He stood up trying to walk away, but his thoughts found him pacing wildly kicking the door, if it was Carol he didn't want to see her and his unborn child dead, but if it was he had to put her down, she deserved that much. He went over to the door putting the blunt side of the machete into his mouth and yanking the mauled body of the walker away from the door and ripping it open machete in hand ready to kill.

What he saw had him in tears again, it was Carol, covered in blood looking up at him weakly, he fell into a crouch putting his free hand under her chin checking her for bites. When he found none, though there was a fair amount of blood in her hair, he scooped her up into his arms.

"I got ya." He whispered kissing her head as he carried her back to the infirmary, her machete hanging from his wrist, they ran into Merle half way back, he froze for a moment, but as they got closer, he could see his smile.

"Hell's bells, I'll get the doc!" Merle yelled running back they way he came, by the time Daryl toed the door to the infirmary open, Hershel and Merle were setting up the sonogram machine.

"She took a knock to the head, poor thing's exhausted." He told Hershel, they sat her up and he stitched her head wound closed setting up an IV.

"Is our baby okay?" Carol asked, Daryl looked up at Hershel, he nodded pulling Carols shirt above her belly, and preparing the sonogram.

"We'll know in a sec babe." Daryl told her, she clutched his hand tightly, he knew how nervous she was, because he felt it too. The silence was oppressive as Hershel moved the sensor across the slick skin he'd smeared with jelly.

"I'm happy to say, you have a healthy little baby in there." Hershel told them happily, Carol's eyes were wet with tears of joy, Daryl hugged her to him, incredibly relieved. They spent a week clearing the prison back out, it turned out Rick had shot Chad when he went to turn the alarm off, Daryl was glad he was gone, but in all honesty he'd wanted to do it himself.

The next seven months were pretty uneventful, Merle was part of the group again, they had a ceremony for T-dog, Lori named her baby girl Judith Anne, they found out that there baby was going to be a boy, Daryl, and Merle hunted, Glenn and Maggie went on runs, they found actual locks for the gates, but it had gotten quiet, they'd carved out a life in this little prison, so when Carol went into labor, everyone was gathered in the hall while Daryl held Carols hand.

"He's perfect." Daryl breathed when Hershel handed the baby over to Carol, she held him to her with a sweet exhausted smile.

"What should we call him?" She asked looking up at Daryl's awe struck face, he smiled back at her.

"How 'bout Dean." Daryl offered, she nodded looking down at her baby boy.

"Dean, do ya like that baby boy, Dean Vic Dixon?" She asked, the baby seemed to smile, but it was nothing compared to the smile on Daryl, he had a family, a real loving family. Merle, Carol, Dean, and there group, they were the perfect family.

**-The End-**


End file.
